Abstract: A vehicle body frame hollow member has an external contour whose cross section forms a polygon and has a plurality of plates, each defining a circumferential wall of the hollow member, each of points of intersection being formed by intersecting prolongations from exterior surfaces of the adjacent two plates, ribs connecting respective apical angles of the polygon with a center shaft thereof; and an elongated projection projecting outwardly of a circle tangent to the points of intersection and extending along an edge of each of the apical angles.

Abstract: The invention is directed to a device suitable for marking a collected sample, comprising collecting means for collecting the sample and at least one detectable marker which is associated with at least a portion of the collecting means, wherein the at least one detectable marker is contractable with the sample upon collection of the sample to mark the collected sample upon contact of the sample with the at least a portion of the collecting means having the at least one detectable marker associated therewith, and wherein the at least one detectable marker is other than a component which is present in the sample before collection and is inert to any component present in the sample before collection. Kits containing the device, methods for marking samples using the device, methods for determining the integrity of a marked sample, and use of the markers for the testing of laboratories and/or laboratory personnel for certification, proficiency testing or accreditation purposes are also provided.

Abstract: A hydrogen storage device for avoiding powder dispersion, having a magnetic hydrogen-absorbing material, prevents powder, generated as the hydrogen-absorbing material releases and absorbs hydrogen, from clogging pipelines, a design that can increase the gas flux and work efficiency, thus extending the device lifetime; a magnetic component having a strong magnetic field is further included to keep the magnetic property of the hydrogen-absorbing material, thus the magnetic strength of the hydrogen-absorbing material will not reduce due to the repeated residual stress actions.

Abstract: In a plasma display panel, a partition wall 15 surrounds each of discharge cells to define the discharge cells. Each of the discharge cells is divided by a second transverse wall 15B into a display discharge cell C1 which is opposite transparent electrodes Xa, Ya of paired row electrodes X, Y to provide for a sustaining discharge; and an addressing discharge cell C2 which is opposite a bus electrode Yb of the row electrode Y to provide for an addressing discharge caused between the bus electrode Yb and a column electrode D. A clearance r is provided between the discharge cell C1 and the addressing discharge cell C2 for communication between the cells C1 and C2.

Abstract: Formed on the surface of an n-type semiconductor layer (21) taken as a collector region is a base region (22) consisting of a p-type region, and formed in the p-type region is an emitter region (23) consisting of an n+-type region. Further, provided in the base region is a base electrode connecting portion (24) consisting of an n+-type region, and a base electrode (26) is connected to the surface of the base electrode connecting portion, and an emitter electrode (27) and a collector electrode (28) are provided and connected electrically to the emitter region and the collector region (21), respectively. As a result, a semiconductor device is obtained which has the transistor in which the reduction in power consumption with a high withstand voltage can be achieved, and the fast switching speed is possible and the large current is obtained. Further a voltage-drive type bipolar transistor such as a digital transistor is obtained which is small in load capacity while establishing a desired drive voltage.

Abstract: The present invention provides a high speed MMR compression processing method by reducing the number of times of repeating a process of finding the positions of changing pixels a1, a2, b1, and b2. According to this method, first, a bit string corresponding to pixel data is obtained from an image. Then, data are sequentially fetched from the bit string byte by byte. Subsequently, a search is made of a table that describes the number of consecutive bits that are arranged to the right of and have the same color as each of bits of each byte of all bit patterns represented by bits included in the fetched 1 byte. Then, the number of consecutive bits, which are arranged to the right of and have the same color as each of bits of each of the fetched bytes, is detected according to the bit patterns represented by bits of the fetched byte. Subsequently, a pixel placed at the position corresponding to the number obtained by adding 1 to the detected number of consecutive bits is determined as a color changing pixel.

Abstract: A collecting exhaust port 18 provided in a cylinder head 12 is comprised of exhaust port sections 46 extending from exhaust valve bores 35 in cylinders 14, and an exhaust collecting section 47 in which the exhaust port sections 46 are collected. The cylinder head 12 includes a protrusion 49 projecting in an arch shape outside a side wall 111 of a cylinder block 11. The exhaust collecting section 47 of the collecting exhaust port 18 directly faces an inner surface of a side wall 12 of the protrusion 49. Water jackets J2 and J3 for cooling the protrusion 49 are provided in upper and lower surfaces of the protrusion 49 having the collecting exhaust port 18 defined therein. The water jackets J2 and J3 are not provided between the side wall 121 of the protrusion 49 and the exhaust collecting section 47. Thus, the compact cylinder head 12 having the collecting exhaust port 18 integrally provided therein can be formed, while avoiding the complication of the structure of a core.

Abstract: A power cutoff device is provided to adjust the transient characteristics of a power voltage caused at a cutoff of the power voltage. The power cutoff device is provided between power lines, which supply constant voltages generated at a multi-power circuit to a plurality of load circuits respectively as power voltages, and ground lines. The power cutoff device detects, by means of an error detection unit, a change in the power voltage in the transient state caused at a cutoff of the power voltages, and outputs an error detection signal. Further, variable current sink units respectively connected to the power lines set their respective sink currents equivalent to values of the level of the error detection signal amplified by their respective coefficients.

Abstract: There is intended to provide an overvoltage-protective device capable of protecting a power system from overvoltage not destructively without using a fuse. An alarm signal from an MOS transistor Tr3, a structural element of a DC/DC converter 21, is inputted to a switching circuit 55, a structural element of the AC/DC converter 11. In case an alarm signal keeps high-level potential without indicating overvoltage-state, the switching circuit 55 connects a output current detecting circuit 53 having the smaller gain G1 to an output voltage detecting circuit 50 as well as a feedback circuit 51A, thereby to set large output-power-supply capability. In case an alarm signal inverses to low-level potential indicating overvoltage-state, the switching circuit 55 connects a output current detecting circuit 54 having the larger gain G2 to the output voltage detecting circuit 50 as well as the feedback circuit 51A, thereby to set small output-power-supply capability.

Abstract: In a belt for a continuously variable transmission, the relationship of &thgr;NH<&thgr;Y is established between the following two angles: (i) an angle &thgr;Y formed between a straight line drawn from a lower end of one of left and right pulley-abutment faces of a metal element to an outer end of the other of the left and right lower ear surfaces and a straight line drawn from a point of the intersection of a straight line drawn downwards from the point with an outer peripheral surface of a metal ring assembly to the point; and (ii) an angle &thgr;NH formed between a tangent line drawn from the point onto a projection and a tangent line drawn from the point onto a recess of the metal element.

Abstract: Provided is a wafer rotary holding apparatus by which a reduced pressure is created on an upper surface of a rotary disk by a simple and easy-to-make mechanism with no need of any of a vacuum source apparatus, a compressed air supply apparatus, a compressed gas supply apparatus and other apparatuses in use; a wafer can be held while rotating with no contact to a rear surface thereof; a degree of pressure reduction can be adjusted with ease and even a thin wafer (of 0.1 mm or less in thickness) can be held while rotating with no deformation; and the wafer with a bowing can be held while rotating with no correction of the bowing. A wafer rotary holding apparatus includes: a rotary disk on which a fluid flow path is formed; a through hole formed in a central section of the rotary disk; and a plurality of wafer rests provided on an upper surface of the rotary disk.

Abstract: A humidifying module that includes a plurality of hollow fiber membranes grouped together to form a hollow fiber membrane bundle. A moisture exchange is performed through a thickness of each hollow fiber membrane between fluid streaming within an interior of each hollow fiber membrane and along an exterior of each hollow fiber membrane. An inner flow passage is inserted within the hollow fiber membrane bundle and along a longitudinal axis thereof, wherein a total longitudinal length which the inner flow passage is inserted within the hollow fiber membrane bundle is shorter than a longitudinal length of the hollow fiber membrane bundle. The inner flow passage includes an inlet and an outlet through which the fluid passes. An end wall is located proximate the outlet. A protrusion is disposed at the end wall and opposite a flow direction of the fluid streaming within the inner flow passage.

Abstract: A positioning means for a reverse shifting fork includes a toggle spring for biasing the reverse shifting fork toward one of a reverse position shown by a solid line and a neutral position shown by a dashed line with a dead point set as a boundary between the reverse position and the neutral position, and a stopper pin for stopping the reverse shifting fork in the reverse position and the neutral position against a biasing force of the toggle spring. The toggle spring is a torsional coil spring and is compressed so that a biasing force is generated in a direction to move opposite ends of the spring connected respectively to the reverse shifting fork holder and the reverse shifting fork away from each other, and the distance between the opposite ends is smallest in the dead point.

Abstract: In the fuel cell (FC) system comprising a FC and a rechargeable battery, a demand power of the FC is calculated by subtracting the charge power to the battery from a demand power signal which indicates the demand value of a load current and using the result. Accordingly, the charge current is never supplied to the battery which is charged to the maximum ratio, which prevents the utilization ratio of the fuel cell from decreasing and which prevents the battery from overcharge. On the other hand, the battery which is discharged to the minimum ratio does not output the discharge power but the charge power is supplied to the battery. Accordingly, it prevents the battery from over discharge.

Abstract: A method for controlling electromagnetic actuators for operating induction and exhaust valves in internal combustion engines where one actuator, connected to a control unit, is coupled to a respective valve having a real position and includes a movable element magnetically driven by means of a resultant force to control the movement of the said valve between a closure position and a fully open position; the control unit is further connected to a piloting unit and includes a supervision block, an open loop control block, a closed loop control block and a selector block commanded by a switching signal generated by the supervision block. The method includes the steps of: operating in an open loop control mode of the real position; operating in a closed loop control mode of the real position; and alternatively selecting the open loop control mode and the closed loop control mode.

Abstract: A first GaN layer (2) is formed on a substrate (1), mask layer (3) having opening parts (3a) are formed thereon, a second GaN layer (4) is selectively grown in the lateral direction from the opening parts on the mask layer, and further a nitride type compound semiconductor layered part (15) is so laminated as to form a light emitting layer. Recessed parts (3b) are formed in the upper face side of the mask layer. In other words, owing to the recessed parts in the upper face side of the mask layer, the second GaN type compound semiconductor layer (4) is grown as to form approximately parallel gap (3c) between the bottom face of the second GaN type compound semiconductor layer and the mask layer. Further, it is preferable for the mask to be formed in a manner that the opening parts for exposing the seeds are not arranged only continuous in one single direction in the entire surface of the wafer type substrate.

Abstract: A sintered sprocket is provided in which surface pressure resistance can be improved without using a forging processing. An Fe-based sintered alloy which contains C at 0.2 to 0.5% by weight, Mo at 0.2 to 1.0% by weight, and Ni at 0.2 to 1.0% by weight, and which exhibits a metallic structure in which an internal base layer comprises ferrite and bainite and in which the ferrite adjoins voids, is subjected to a rolling and is then subjected to carburizing and hardening.

Abstract: A semiconductor device includes input circuits which capture respective data pieces from an exterior of the device in synchronization with respective clock signals supplied from the exterior of the device, a pulse signal generation circuit which generates a pulse signal, and drive circuits which supplies the respective data pieces captured by the input circuits to internal circuitry at a unified timing corresponding to the pulse signal.

Abstract: A light emitting portion (1) and an objective lens (3) for collecting a light of the light emitting portion are provided. The light receiving portion (2) is provided in the vicinity of the light emitting portion (1) such that the light can be collected by the objective lens and the light reflected by an optical disk (10) to be an object can be detected. The light emitting portion and the light receiving portion are formed to get in a range of 1.22 &lgr;/NA (beam waist BW) wherein a numerical aperture of the objective lens is represented by NA and a wavelength of the light emitting portion is represented by &lgr; or the light receiving portion is multi-split such that a focal shift of a beam having an astigmatism formed thereon can be detected.

Abstract: A machine which makes filter bags from flat tubular envelopes for products to be infused includes a thread applying station having a first drum rotating in a defined direction and a plurality of seats to position and pick up of seals, continuous thread and pick-up tabs fed from feed units located downstream of one another relative to the rotation direction of the first drum. The seal and pick-up tab feed units are supplied with continuous webs fed towards relative cutting elements, which cut the webs into individual seals and individual pick-up tabs. Two feed units each include a corresponding transfer element operating between a corresponding cutting element and the first drum and pick up individual seals and pick-up tabs in a first zone at the cutting elements and transfer them to a second zone separated from the first zone by a given angle and at a seat on the drum.