Abstract: A push-lock device has a damper mechanism 9 which includes a strip body 17; protruding portions 14, 16; a protruding portion 26; and a rubber ring 23. The strip body 17 is arranged in the moving direction of the sliding body 4 housed in the case 2 and has a meandering groove 22 formed therein. The protruding portions 14, 16 support rotatably the ends of the strip body 17. The protruding portion 26 is arranged to the sliding body 4 and engages to the meandering groove 22. The rubber ring 23 is arranged between the base 2b of the case 2 and one end of the strip body 17. The damper mechanism 9 can brake the movement of the sliding body 4 to prevent the sliding body from returning quickly from the locking position. The shock noise of the sliding body is reduced and the knob can be prevented from slipping out from the operating shaft.

Abstract: A tape recorder is disclosed in which an accurate cue & review operation is possible without being influenced by the wound state of a magnetic tape or the fluctuation of the mechanical load.

Abstract: A ribbon cassette of which the type of ink ribbon accommodated in the ribbon cassette may be identified by detection switches arranged on the carriage of a thermal transfer printer, without using a plurality of types of ribbon cassette case which are different in shape. A ribbon cassette in which a simple construction is used to prevent sticking to each other of the ink ribbon and the guide roller immediately after printing. A ribbon cassette by which a stain on the recording sheet due to contact between the sheet and the ink ribbon at the time of printing operation may be prevented and the stability of running of the ink ribbon is improved. A thermal transfer printer in which: the stability of running of the ink ribbon may be improved; both hot peeling printing and cold peeling printing are possible in an excellent condition; and the consumption of the, ink ribbon may be reduced.

Abstract: A crystalline sialon comprising crystals containing aluminum, silicon, nitrogen and oxygen, in which the crystal structure has a hexagonal system wurtzite structure identical with that of AlN crystals, and the volume of the unit cell thereof has a value smaller than that of the AlN crystals. The crystalline sialon can be synthesized by mixing a silicon-containing gas, an aluminum halide, a nitrogen atom-containing gas and an oxygen atom-containing gas, converting the gas mixture into plasmas by microwave discharging and depositing a film on the surface of a substrate, in which the temperature of the substrate, while controlling a flow rate of the silicon-containing gas and a flow rate of the oxygen-containing gas. The crystalline sialon of the present invention has high hardness, is excellent in oxidation resistance, as well as excellent in heat conductivity and adhesion with a superhard substrate.

Abstract: OBJECT: To provide a non-contact power supply apparatus capable of supplying stable power very efficiently even when changes in load at the receiving side occur by tuning AC frequency supplied to the oscillating circuit on the receiving side and the resonant frequency of the resonance circuit on the receiving side. CONSTITUENTS: At the receiving side is provided a resonance circuit 3 in which resonance coil L3 on the receiving side is connected in parallel with resonance capacitor C3. At the supplying side are provided a detecting coil L2 which detects resonant frequency of resonance circuit 3 on the receiving side and a control means 1 which tunes AC frequency supplied to the aforementioned oscillating circuit 2 on the supplying side with resonant frequency of the aforementioned oscillating circuit 3 on the receiving side according to the frequency of induced electromotive force detected by said detecting coil L2.

Abstract: A seesaw switch including a rigid member bridging first and second elastic click members, each elastic click member carrying a moveable contact positioned over a fixed contact. A lever is pivotably positioned over the rigid member and includes a first projection contacting the rigid member near the first elastic click member, and a second projection contacting the rigid member near the second elastic click member. When the lever is pivoted a first angular amount in a clockwise direction, the first projection presses against the rigid member, causing the rigid member to rotate with respect to the second elastic member to buckle the first elastic click member. Further pivoting of the lever in the clockwise direction causes the rigid member to rotate with respect to the buckled first elastic click member, thereby buckling the second elastic click member.

Abstract: The present invention aims at performing in a simple manner the replacement of an ink ribbon contained in an ink ribbon cassette. To this end, the attachment 11 for ink ribbon replacement according to the present invention is provided with a table portion 12 for resting the ink ribbon cassette thereon. On the upper surface of the table portion 12 is provided a positioning member 13 for positioning the ink ribbon cassette and are also provided projections 16 for pushing retaining members 10 which hold upper and lower cassette cases 6b, 6a integrally with each other, to release the engagement of both cassette cases. When the ink ribbon cassette is put on the attachment 11 for ink ribbon replacement, the retaining members 10 of the ink ribbon cassette are pushed by the projections 16 of the attachment to thereby disengage the upper and lower cassette cases 6b, 6a of the ink ribbon cassette from each other.

Abstract: A thermal transfer printer including: a carriage 5 provided for causing reciprocatory motions along a platen 2; a thermal head 6 disposed on this carriage 5; a ribbon cassette 21 accommodating an ink ribbon 14 therein and detachably installed on the upper surface of the carriage 5; a head operating mechanism 30 for supporting the thermal head 6 on the carriage 5 and bringing the thermal head 6 into contact with or releasing it from the platen 2; a driving motor for driving this head operating mechanism 30; a peeling roller 20 brought into contact with or released from the platen 2 in order to change a distance between a printing portion by the thermal head 6 and a peeling portion where the ink ribbon 14 is peeled off after finishing the printing operation; and a peeling lever 19 mounting the peeling roller 2 at the distal end thereof and including an engaging pin 50 which is pressed to engage with the head operating mechanism 30 in accordance with a kind of the ribbon cassette 21.

Abstract: A self-diagnosing apparatus for a brushless motor which has a voltage detection circuit for detecting drive current to the brushless motor, and for outputting voltage at one of different levels corresponding to a short circuit condition, an open circuit condition and other conditions. When the output of the voltage detection circuit is at a high (H) level, a short circuit condition is determined, whereas when that output is at a low (L) level, an open circuit condition is determined. When the output of the voltage detection circuit is at a level intermediate between "H" and "L" levels, and simultaneously when the output voltage does not pulsate, a motor lock condition is determined.

Abstract: A sliding contact producing method is provided wherein noble metal balls are easily positioned on a metal plate; the weld strength between the noble metal ball and the metal plate can be obtained sufficiently; and a noble metal mounting jig can be prevented from damage when the metal plate is beam-welded with the noble metal ball. While being received in the recess portions of a jig, the noble metal balls are respectively contacted with bowllike recesses formed in the base surface of the metal plate. YAG laser beam is irradiated on the metal plate to weld the metal plate with the noble metal ball. Then the metal plate is sheared in a determined shape to form resilient strips. The present invention can improve welding operation efficiency and the reliability of welded portions. Since the metal plate being wider than that of the resilient strip receives beam, the metal contact mounting jig can be prevented from damage due to beam welding.

Abstract: A high-frequency oscillator circuit designed to efficiently output fundamental and second harmonic waves. A second harmonic resonance circuit is inserted between bases of a pair of transistors having collectors connected to each other. Each of a pair of capacitors is inserted between the base and an emitter of the corresponding one of the pair of transistors, and each of another pair of capacitors is inserted between the emitters of the transistors. Further, a pair of fundamental wave output terminals for outputting fundamental waves are respectively connected to the bases of the transistors, and a pair of second harmonic output terminals for outputting second harmonic waves are respectively connected to a connection between the second pair of capacitors and a connection point between the collectors of the pair of transistors.

Abstract: A disk file subsystem is disclosed which utilizes a track address decoding circuit which converts the track address which is recorded on the magnetic media in Gray code according to a 1/6 (2,8) run-length-limited recording code to its corresponding binary track address.

Abstract: The invention provides a light controller for lamps which can reduce the number of parts, cost and size. A rectangular wave voltage output from an astable multivibrator (1) is inverted by an inverter (3) and then supplied to a gate of a P-channel MOS FET (5) for on/off driving the MOS FET (5). A current is thereby caused to flow through a lamp (7) for lighting it up. By changing a resistance value of a variable resistor (2), a cycle of the rectangular wave voltage is changed and, therefore, an amount of the current flowing through the lamp (7) is changed so as to vary the illumination intensity of the lamp.

Abstract: A disk reproducing apparatus enables selection and reproduction of the desired programs recorded on a disk, with reduced memory capacity. When a desired program is selected using the operating panel, a system controller moves an optical pickup to the TOC area of the read-in region of a read-only mini-disk, causes the optical pickup, RF amplifier and digital signal processing circuit to read the start address of the desired program from the TOC area, thereafter again moves the optical pickup while observing the address data in the subdata input from the digital signal processing circuit, then searches the heading position of the desired program on the disk and starts reproduction of the desired program, upon completion of the searching operation.

Abstract: An etchant which generates neither heat nor gas during the process, does not sublimate, is stable for a long period of time, requires no special pipings, and further requires no special treatment of waste water because of containing no organic solvents. The etchant is a solution containing hydrofluoric acid and an-oxoacid or oxoacid salt compound expressed by Mm(XOn)p (where M is hydrogen, one-to three-valence metal or NH.sub.4, m is 1 or 5, X is a halogen element, n is 3, 4 or 6, and p is 1, 2 or 3).

Abstract: A method and apparatus for reliably determining an optimal route between a departure point and a destination in an exploration object zone, the optimal route being determined according to the situation of roads separating the departure point and the destination. Prior to route exploration, an area determiner counts the total number of intersection network lists associated with a route exploration object zone, which lists are stored in a route exploration memory. When a density of intersections (which is the total number of intersection network lists divided by the size of the route exploration object zone) exceeds a certain value, the area determiner determines that the object zone lies in an urban (high road density) district. When the density of intersections is smaller, the area determiner determines that the object zone lies in a suburban (low road density) district.

Abstract: The invention relates to a recording/playback apparatus, and more particularly to a recording/playback apparatus in which a cam member is provided to retract a transducer from the disk surface. The apparatus comprises a disk, a transducer, a support member for supporting the transducer, and a cam member. The cam member is formed into an arcuate shape in its half portion on the side coming into contact with the support member, and the remaining half portion of the cam member has an upper surface substantially flat.