Abstract: A trench is formed in a semiconductor substrate through a mask composed of a silicon oxide film formed on the semiconductor substrate. Then, an edge portion at an opening portion of the mask is etched so that an opening width thereof is wider than that of the trench. After that, an inner surface of the trench is smoothed by thermal treatment around at 1000° C. in non-oxidizing or non-nitriding atmosphere under low pressure. Then, the trench is filled with an epitaxial film. After that, the epitaxial film is polished, whereby a semiconductor substrate for forming a semiconductor device is obtained.

Abstract: An infrared rays detection apparatus including an optical window member having a characteristic that scatters noise light, which is capable of reducing an influence of noise light with a simple structure. An infrared rays detection apparatus includes: a condenser lens; an infrared rays image sensor made up of plural thermal detection elements; and a signal detection/process circuit (SDP circuit). The image sensor detects a thermal distribution of a predetermined area condensed by the condenser lens in a passenger room. The SDP circuit makes a thermal image data based on the thermal distribution detected by the image sensor. Various types of system control circuits control each of the vehicular system as described later based on the thermal image data provided from the SDP circuit. The condenser lens is formed so that noise light such as visible light is scattered thereby and that infrared rays is transmitted therethrough to the image sensor.

Abstract: A casing for an electronic control device, by which a cover and a casing body are reliably sealed up while preventing the cover from warping or from being distorted, although the cover is made of a thin sheet material. The electronic control device casing comprises: a casing body having an opening in its upper face portion for casing a printed circuit board; a cover made of a sheet material for closing the opening of the casing body; a groove portion formed in the open edge portion of the casing body; a liquid sealing material fitted in the groove portion for sealing the open edge portion of the casing body and the flange portion of the cover; and a ridge portion having a generally U-shaped section and formed on the flange portion of the cover for being fitted in the groove portion of the casing body.

Abstract: An apparatus inputs an image of a regularly latticed-patterns. The inputted image data is transformed into frequency data by the Fourier transformation. The frequency data is restored into image data after it is processed. The processing of the frequency data includes a process for removing a frequency component corresponding to the latticed patterns. The processing of the frequency data further includes a process for removing a frequency component corresponding to a shape of an area of the latticed patterns. The processed data is used for detecting and examining a defect. It is possible to examine a defect accurately.

Abstract: In a pump apparatus having a plurality of rotary pumps, an axis of a drive shaft is disposed perpendicularly to the gravity direction and the respective intake and discharge ports of the pumps extend in a direction opposite to the gravity direction. A housing, in which the pumps are contained, is provided with brake fluid passages connected to the intake and discharge ports, respectively. The respective brake fluid passages also extend in a direction opposite to the gravity direction. As a result, air entered into brake fluid may be easily purged through the intake and discharge ports and the brake fluid passages.

Abstract: A sensor device includes a sensor circuit for measuring a physical amount such as pressure, a voltage detector for detecting a voltage actually supplied to the sensor circuit, and an oscillator for generating an oscillating signal when the voltage detector finds the voltage supplied to the sensor circuit is abnormally low. The sensor signal and the oscillating signal are selectively supplied to a controller. The controller controls various devices connected thereto based on the sensor signal, while it detects a malfunction of the sensor device based on either a high level signal or a low level signal in the oscillating signal. Thus, the malfunction of the sensor device is automatically detected without fail.

Abstract: The structure for fixing a grommet to a housing is composed of a housing provided with a connector portion formed at least partly in a column shape, a wire harness connector coupled with the connector portion with a coupling gap and a tubular shaped grommet made of resilient material put on an outside circumferential surface of the connector portion to waterproof seal the coupling gap. The grommet includes a wall with openings that snap over protrusions on the connector portion to rigidly fix them together. The connector portion includes a locking through hole for receiving a latch on the wire harness connector. Seal lips on the grommet are angled downward so as to provide sealing for the locking hole.

Abstract: A photo detecting device includes an output line leading to a processing circuit, and an array of pixels including respective photo detecting zones for changing incident light into corresponding electric signals through photoelectric conversion. Each of the pixels includes a first switch for selectively connecting and disconnecting a related photo detecting zone to and from the output line, and a second switch for selectively connecting and disconnecting the related photo detecting zone to and from a ground line. The second switch disconnects the related photo detecting zone from the ground line when the first switch connects the related photo detecting zone to the output line. The second switch connects the related photo detecting zone to the ground line when the first switch disconnects the related photo detecting zone from the output line.

Abstract: A cross-coil type indicating instrument includes a dial plate, a bobbin disposed behind the dial plate, a pair of coils wound around the bobbin to cross each other, a plurality of terminals, a circuit board supported at a rear portion of the dial plate, an indicator shaft, an indicator carried by the indicator shaft, and a permanent magnet disposed in the bobbin coaxially with the indicator shaft. The bobbin has a plurality of terminal holders at the outer periphery thereof. Each terminal has a base portion fixed to the terminal holder, an elongation extending from the base portion toward connection terminals of the coils, and a pressure-contact portion extending from the base portion toward the circuit board to pressure-contact the circuit board from behind by its resilience.

Abstract: A load actuation circuit is provided which is capable of placing a limit on load current to a load below a predetermined value with high accuracy. In the load actuation circuit, a series circuit comprising a detection transistor and an NPN transistor is connected in parallel with an output transistor for supplying a load current to the load, and a diode is placed between the gates of the output transistor and the detection transistor for producing a voltage drop equal to a voltage drop in the NPN transistor. In addition, a constant-current circuit for supplying a constant current is connected to the gate of the detection transistor, and another transistor for constituting a current mirror circuit together with the NPN transistor is connected to the gate of the output transistor. This circuit arrangement prevents a limit value of the load current from fluctuating due to the non-uniformity of circuit elements or the like, thus achieving high-accuracy load-current limitation.

Abstract: In a clutch, when a driving-side rotator is rotated, the driving-side rotator engages a driven-side rotator in a rotational direction and transmits a rotational force of the driving-side rotator to the driven-side rotator. When the driven-side rotator is rotated by an external force, a rolling element is clamped between the driven-side rotator and an inner circumferential surface of a housing. At the same time the driven-side rotator is allowed to rotate while generating a desired frictional force between the rolling element and the inner circumferential surface of the housing, so that the rotation of the driven-side rotator is not transmitted to the driving-side rotator.

Abstract: In the high side switch type of electrical load driving circuit, wherein an N channel MOS transistor is provided on the circuit for supplying power to the electrical load, a zener diode is provided between the drain and the source of the MOS transistor to protect the MOS transistor. A load is provided between the gate and the ground to protect the MOS transistor. In this circuit, when a positive high voltage is induced on the side of the electrical load, the zener and a parasitic diode of the MOS transistor flows forward currents which absorb the high voltage noise. When a negative high voltage noise is induced from the side of the electrical load, a breakdown current flows through the zener diode, so that the voltage difference between the drain and source is clamed to a predetermined voltage. Then, the diode turns on the MOS transistor. Thus, the MOS transistor can be surely protected from high voltage noises without increasing the current capacities of elements for the protection circuit.

Abstract: A load detection sensor unit for a bedding comprises a plurality of load detection devices and a signal processing circuit which is connectable to an external electrical unit. The signal processing circuit includes a plurality of analog switches connected to the load detection devices, a single output line connected to the analog switches, and a load resistor connected to the single output lines. The analog switches are turned on sequentially so that output signals of the load detection devices are serialized and transmitted to the external electrical unit through the single output line. The load detection devices and the signal processing circuit are formed integrally on an elastic film and connected through elastic conductors.

Abstract: A &Dgr;-&Sgr; converter comprises a &Dgr;-&Sgr; modulator and a digital filter. The &Dgr;-&Sgr; modulator has a comparator having two resonant tunnel diodes connected to each other in series between two terminals and a field effect transistor connected in parallel to one of the resonant tunnel diodes, a conversion input transistor for converting an input voltage into electric current, a capacitor provided so that charge amount thereof is decreased by flow of electric current through the conversion input transistor and an electric potential proportional to the charge amount is used for the input electric potential to the comparator, and a feedback transistor, to which an output of the comparator is inputted, operating in such a way as to increase the charge amount of the capacitance element when the output of the comparator becomes a high level.

Abstract: A clutch includes an outer ring, a driving-side rotator, a driven-side rotator and rolling elements. Each rolling element is located between an inner circumferential surface of the ring and a corresponding control surface of the driven-side rotator and has a diameter shorter than a distance between a circumferential center portion of the control surface and the inner circumferential surface of the ring but longer than a distance between each of opposing circumferential end portions of the control surface and the inner circumferential surface of the ring. The center portion is located radially outward of a straight line that connects the end portions. Each intermediate portion positioned between the center portion and the end portion is arcuately bulged beyond a straight line that connects the center portion and the end portion.

Abstract: An apparatus for detecting a condition of a road surface includes a vehicle wheel speed detecting device for outputting a vehicle wheel speed signal representing a speed of a wheel of a vehicle. A vehicle wheel speed summating device operates for summating variations in the vehicle wheel speed represented by the vehicle wheel speed signal during every time period corresponding to one revolution of the vehicle wheel, and for generating a summation value representing a result of the summating. A road-surface condition detecting device for detecting a road-surface condition on the basis of a difference between a current summation value and a previous summation value generated by the vehicle wheel speed summating device.

Abstract: Insulated gate bipolar transistors which can restrain causing surge voltage due to an inductance component while an L-load is turned off and can improve a negative characteristic of a sustain voltage during breakdown. An insulated gate bipolar transistor (IGBT) is provided with: a p+-type semiconductor substrate; an n+-type buffer layer having high impurity concentration; an n-type intermediate layer; and an n−-type base layer having low impurity concentration. A p-type well layer and an n+-type emitter layer having high impurity concentration are formed in the n−-type base layer. The n-type intermediate layer has an intermediate impurity concentration between an impurity concentration of the n+-type buffer layer and that of the n−-type base layer. Thickness of the intermediate layer is determined so that the depletion layer does not reach the n+-type buffer layer even when the switching operation of the L-load is turned off.

Abstract: Height-wise positions of objects are detected on the basis of distances to the objects from a vehicle, angles of the objects in a width-wise direction of the vehicle, and angles of the objects in a height-wise direction of the vehicle. A plurality of objects, which satisfy conditions predetermined depending on physical characteristics of delineators, are determined to be objects composing a delineator group. When the detected height-wise position of an object in the delineator group which is nearest to the vehicle corresponds to a predetermined value or less, the delineator group is determined to be a delineator group on a road surface. A determination is made as to whether each object in the on-road-surface delineator group is a non-delineator in response to conditions of the detected height-wise positions of the objects in the on-road-surface delineator group.

Abstract: A GPS receiver has a plurality of data demodulator circuits assigned to a plurality of GPS satellites, respectively, and a data memory which stores detailed orbit information of the GPS satellites. The GPS receiver searches for satellites the detailed orbit information of which was stored in the memory previously. When these searched GPS satellites are acquired, the GPS receiver executes satellite frame synchronization determination processing to check for an agreement among predetermined data included in satellite data transmitted from the acquired GPS satellites. When the searched GPS satellites cannot be acquired or the predetermined data do not agree, the GPS receiver executes a single-satellite frame synchronization determination processing to check for an agreement of predetermined data included in a plurality of frames of the satellite data. The GPS receiver starts positioning processing in response to an establishment of agreement to calculate its position.

Abstract: A motor includes a rotatable shaft, a core secured to the rotatable shaft, a fan secured to the rotatable shaft, and a yoke containing the core and the fan. The core has a plurality of slots around which a coil is wound. The fan has a plurality of blades. The yoke has a plurality of vent holes that communicate an interior of the yoke with an exterior of the yoke. The plurality of the vent holes are arranged adjacent the fan. The number of slots, the number of blades and the number of vent holes are set such that these three numbers do not share a common divisor other than 1.