Abstract: A vehicle panel basically includes a skin layer, a substrate layer and a foam material. The skin layer includes an inbound facing side and an outbound facing side. The substrate layer includes an inbound facing side and an outbound facing side, with the inbound facing side of the substrate layer overlying and spaced from the outbound facing side of the skin layer to form a space therebetween. The foam material includes a first foam layer disposed in the space between the skin layer and the substrate layer and a second foam layer overlying the outbound facing side of the substrate layer, with the first and second foam layers being interconnected as a unitary member through at least one opening in the substrate layer.

Abstract: In this program, a regulation command for controlling the movement of a first character is recognized by a control unit. After the regulation command for the first character is recognized by the control unit, a movement command for operating a second character is recognized by the control unit. Then, the state that the second character is moving based on the movement command is displayed on an image displaying unit using image data. The first character with movement controlled based on the regulation command is displayed on the image displaying unit using image data. And, if the receiving of commands related to movements for the first character and the second character is terminated by the control unit, a process for changing the ability data of the first character is executed by the control unit.

Abstract: An image-forming device comprising: an image-carrier belt that carries an image; a belt-driving roller that causes the image-carrier belt to move, the image-carrier belt being engaged around the belt-driving roller; a tension roller that applies a tension to the image-carrier belt, the image-carrier belt being engaged around the tension roller; a transfer roller having a concaved portion and a gripper, the transfer roller coming into contact with the tension roller interposed by the image-carrier belt, and transferring the image that is carried by the image-carrier belt onto the transfer material; a contacting/diverging part that causes the tension roller to move and that causes the transfer roller and the image-carrier belt to come into contact with or diverge from one another; a delivery part that delivers the transfer material that is gripped by the gripper; and a support member that pivotally supports the transfer roller and supports the delivery part.

Abstract: A refrigeration apparatus uses a refrigerant that operates in a supercritical range. The refrigeration apparatus includes a compression mechanism, a heat source-side heat exchanger, an expansion mechanism, a usage-side heat exchanger, a switching mechanism, an intercooler, a bypass tube, and an injection tube. The switching mechanism is configured to switch between cooling and heating operation states. When the switching mechanism is switched to the cooling operation state to allow refrigerant to flow to the heat source-side heat exchanger and a reverse cycle defrosting operation for defrosting the heat source-side heat exchanger is performed, the refrigerant is caused to flow to the heat source-side heat exchanger, the intercooler and the injection tube. After the defrosting of the intercooler is detected as being complete, the bypass tube is used so as to ensure that the refrigerant does not flow to the intercooler and the injection valve is controlled so that the opening degree is increased.

Abstract: An electrooptic apparatus includes an electrooptic material interposed between a pair of substrates, and a film formed above each of surfaces of the substrates facing the electrooptic material. The film is formed by a method including (a) forming a frame-shaped partition in an application area on the substrate, the partition having a side surface facing a center of the application area, (b) applying the material liquid to the application area, and (c) drying the material liquid. In step (a), the partition is formed so that a distance between the side surface of the partition and the center is smaller than a distance between an outer edge of the application area and the center, and so that a height of the partition is smaller than a film thickness of the material liquid at a time when the material liquid is applied and is larger than a thickness of the dried film.

Abstract: A fluorescence detection device for a flow site meter emits laser light intensity-modulated in accordance with a modulation signal and acquires a fluorescent signal of fluorescence emitted from a measurement object that passes through a measurement point of the laser light. The fluorescence detection device generates, separately from the modulation signal, a reference signal having a frequency different from a frequency of the modulation signal and a phase in synchronization with a phase of the modulation signal. The fluorescence detection device determines a fluorescent relaxation time of the measurement object from the fluorescent signal by using the reference signal.

Abstract: A method for manufacturing a solar cell including a substrate, a first electrode layer, a semiconductor layer, and a second electrode layer, includes forming a first sacrificial layer on a portion of a surface of the substrate; forming the first electrode layer on the substrate and on the first sacrificial layer; and dividing the first electrode layer by removing the first sacrificial layer and a portion of the first electrode layer formed on the first sacrificial layer.

Abstract: A refrigeration apparatus uses a refrigerant that operates in a region including critical processes, and includes a compression mechanism having first and second compressors, a heat-source-side heat exchanger, an expansion mechanism, a utilization-side heat exchanger, an intercooler, and an intermediate refrigerant pipe. The first compressor has a first low-pressure compression element and a first high-pressure compression element to increase pressure of refrigerant more than the first low-pressure compression element. The second compressor has a second low-pressure compression element and a second high-pressure compression element to increase pressure of refrigerant more than the second low-pressure compression element. The intermediate refrigerant pipe causes refrigerant discharged by the first and second low-pressure compression elements to pass through the intercooler and be sucked into first and second high-pressure the compression elements.

Abstract: An input device includes a main body and a motion sensor unit. The main body has a longitudinal axis. The motion sensor unit is configured and arranged to detect rotation of the main body about the longitudinal axis. The motion sensor unit has an X-axis angular velocity sensor configured and arranged to detect an angular velocity of the main body about an X-axis in a three-dimensional orthogonal coordinate system defined by the X-axis, a Y-axis and a Z-axis. The X-axis coincides with the longitudinal axis of the main body and the Y-axis and the Z-axis being orthogonal to each other in a first plane perpendicular to the X-axis.

Abstract: The heater unit includes: a locking device selectable between a locked state in which the heater unit chassis is locked in the printer chassis, and an unlocked state in which the printer chassis and the heater unit chassis are unlocked; and a grip portion. When the grip portion is in a first operating position, the locking device is held in the locked state, and when the grip portion is in a second operating position, the locking device is held in the unlocked state. The operating state of the locking device changes in an interlocked manner with switching of the operating position of the grip portion.

Abstract: A method that heat-expandable microspheres includes the use of a shell of thermoplastic resin and a non-fluorine blowing agent encapsulated therein having a boiling point not higher than the softening point of the thermoplastic resin. The method includes, a step of dispersing an oily mixture containing a polymerizable component, the blowing agent, and a polymerization initiator containing a peroxydicarbonate in an aqueous dispersing medium to polymerize the polymerizable component contained in the oily mixture. The resultant heat-expandable microsphres have a shell which is less apt to become thinner than its theoretical value, contain minimum amount of resin particle inside their shell, and have excellent heat-expanding performance.

Abstract: Heat-expandable microspheres include a shell of thermoplastic resin and a blowing agent encapsulated therein having a boiling point not higher than the softening point of the thermoplastic resin, have a maximum expanding ratio not lower than 50 times, and are thermally expanded into hollow particulates having a repeated-compression durability not lower than 75 percent. The method of producing the heat-expandable microspheres includes the steps of dispersing an oily mixture containing a polymerizable component and the blowing agent in an aqueous dispersing medium containing a specific water-soluble compound and polymerizing the polymerizable component contained in the oily mixture.

Abstract: An internal combustion engine exhaust gas cleaning apparatus is basically provided with a NOx trapping catalytic converter, a sulfur poisoning amount estimating section and a sulfur poisoning removal section. The NOx trapping catalytic converter is arranged in an exhaust passage to trap NOx contained in an exhaust gas flowing through the exhaust passage when an air-fuel ratio of the exhaust gas is lean and to release trapped NOx when an air-fuel ratio of the exhaust gas is rich. The sulfur poisoning amount estimating section estimates an estimated sulfur poisoning amount of sulfur poisoning of the NOx trapping catalytic converter based on a fuel consumption amount and an oil consumption amount. The sulfur poisoning removal section raises a temperature of the NOx trapping catalytic converter to a sulfur poisoning removal temperature based on the estimated sulfur poisoning amount to remove sulfur poisoning from the NOx trapping catalytic converter.