Abstract: In a disk device, in a state where no access to the disk is permitted, instead of permitting the head to be driven stepwise whenever step pulses are fed in, the head is inhibited from being driven stepwise until a predetermined period of time elapses after the disk starts being rotated. This helps reduce electric power consumption in such a state. Moreover, when the head has been retracted to its initial position because of an error in the stepwise driving thereof, instead of waiting for step pulses to be fed in from the host and thereby losing much time before the head is moved back to the track at which it was located before the error, the position of the head before the error is stored so that the head can be, by self recovery, moved back to the position before the error without waiting for an instruction from outside the disk device.

Abstract: There is provided a control system for an internal combustion engine, which is capable of properly controlling the amount of exhaust gas recirculation according to a degree of flow rate degradation of an exhaust gas recirculation system and at the same time suppressing progress of the flow rate degradation. The control system has an exhaust gas recirculation system including an exhaust gas recirculation passage for communicating between an exhaust passage and an intake passage, and an exhaust gas recirculation valve for controlling the rate of exhaust gas recirculation to the intake passage via the exhaust gas recirculation passage according to the operation amount of the valve. An ECU cuts off supply of fuel to the engine during deceleration of the engine. An intake pipe absolute pressure sensor detects pressure within the intake passage.

Abstract: A DC—DC converter in which no operational instability occurs and ranges of input and output voltages are wide, an electric appliance using such DC—DC converter, and a duty-ratio setting circuit in which no operational instability occurs and ranges of input and output voltages of a converter circuit can be widen in controlling the converter circuit are provided. A DC—DC converter 10 has a converter circuit 110, an output voltage detection circuit 120 and a duty-ratio setting circuit 20. An error amplifier circuit 21 compares Vref1 with Vd to output a control voltage Vfb. A pulse-width modulator circuit 25 compares a triangular-wave voltage Vct with the control voltage Vfb to output a first pulse signal PWO. A second-pulse generator circuit 26 outputs a second pulse signal PSO having a predetermined on-duty ratio.

Abstract: A protective circuit device (3) according to the present invention prevents overcharge to a storage battery (2). Protective circuit device (3) has a circuit board body (32) with a prescribed circuit pattern, and island portions (33, 34) having on their surfaces a plurality of external terminals (30) and connected to circuit board body (32) through a metal piece (35, 36). Island portions (33, 34) preferably includes first and second islands. First island (33) preferably has an external terminal (30) and is parallel to circuit board body (32). Second island (34) is preferably arranged between first island (33) and circuit board body (32) and is vertical to circuit board body (32).

Abstract: The present invention provides a system, method and article of manufacture for personal catalog and knowledge management. The system includes a data collection module for collecting data from a visible data source, a data classification module for classifying the data, a data commentary module for adding value to the data and for providing comment on the data, and a data access module for accessing the data in a storage device. The present invention avoids disadvantages of lacking effective management for personal massive information and can be applied in various data sources. The information can be effectively transferred to personal useful knowledge and further managed by data classification and adding value to the data.

Abstract: A firing or ignition state discrimination system for an internal combustion engines having a spark plug which produces spark discharge when supplied with discharge current from an ignition coil to ignite air-fuel mixture in the combustion chamber. In the system, ionic-current that flows during combustion of the air-fuel mixture is detected at a predetermined first timing and leakage current that flows across electrodes of the spark plug is detected at a predetermined second timing which is later than the predetermined first timing. The firing or ignition state of the engine is discriminated to one from among normal, misfiring, spark plug fouling, and failure in ignition system or in fuel supply system based on the detected ionic-current and leakage current and presence or absence of fuel cutoff to the engine. With this, it becomes possible to accurately discriminates the firing or ignition state of the spark plug and to inform the fact to the vehicle operator if desired.

Abstract: An engine control system for hybrid vehicles, so as to smoothly switch the driving operation from the cylinder-deactivated engine operation, in which at least a part of the total number of cylinders of the engine is deactivated, to the all-cylinder-activated engine operation while considering the driver's intention. When the vehicle is decelerated, the cylinder-deactivated engine operation is performed and regeneration using the motor is performed. The system includes a cylinder deactivation release determining section for releasing the cylinder-deactivated engine operation when an engine speed decreases to a reference engine speed with respect to the cylinder-deactivated engine operation; and a brake operation detecting section for detecting whether a brake pedal is depressed.

Abstract: A control device for a hybrid vehicle which comprises an engine and a motor-generator that is capable of generating electrical power as power sources, and in which the power of at least one of the engine and the motor-generator is transmitted to an output shaft for driving the hybrid vehicle. The control device comprises a battery which is capable of supplying energy to the motor-generator, a state of charge measuring section for measuring the state of charge of the battery, and a drive control section that preliminarily stores information of a motor drive permissible vehicle speed below which a motor drive mode, in which the engine outputs no power and the motor is operated solely for driving the hybrid vehicle, is employed. The drive control section is adapted to control so to increase the motor drive permissible vehicle speed when the state of charge of the battery measured by the state of charge measuring section is equal to or greater than a predetermined value.

Abstract: A bearing device for a drive wheel is provided with improved strength of coupling a hub wheel and an outer joint member without significantly raising the manufacturing cost. The bearing device for a drive wheel includes the hub wheel, a constant velocity universal joint and bearings arranged in inner races, the hub wheel, the universal joint and the bearings being unitized, at least the inner race being formed in the outer joint member of the constant velocity universal joint. In the bearing device, the hub wheel and the outer joint member are meshed with each other by way of serrations and coupled to each other by caulking. Undulations of serrations at near a caulked section being filled with plastic deformed part caused by the caulking.

Abstract: A ball bearing for a pulley that is a component of a wrapping connector transmission device installed to an engine for an automobile. In the bearing, the depths of ball grooves formed in the inner ring and the outer ring of the ball bearing are set so that the risk rate of the ball being stranded on the shoulder becomes approximately the same for the inner ring and the outer ring under pure thrust load. Furthermore, the depth of the ball groove of the outer ring is set shallower than the depth of the ball groove of the inner ring. The depth of the ball groove of the outer ring is set in a range of 12-19% of the diameter of the ball.

Abstract: The present invention concerns methods of obtaining stable lutein and its derivatives. Additionally, the invention concerns various compositions comprising lutein, lutein esters, tetrahydrocurcuminoids, and carnosic acid.

Abstract: Whether a driver is driving intentionally is determined rapidly and accurately when steering control is performed such that a vehicle travels along recognized travel partitioning lines. A torque value deviation absolute value is calculated using the absolute value of a difference between the torque value from the previous processing and the torque value from the current processing, and is stored in a ring buffer. A torque value deviation sum value is calculated by adding all the torque value deviation absolute values stored in the ring buffer, and when a state in which the torque value deviation sum value is equal to or less than a predetermined driving intention determination threshold continues for a predetermined first threshold time (for example, several seconds; e.g. 5 seconds) or longer, it is determined that there is a decrease in the driving intention.

Abstract: A control system is disclosed that accelerates the rise in temperature of a catalyst provided in an exhaust system of an internal combustion engine. The system increases the intake air amount after the engine starts and retards the ignition timing according to a rotational speed of the engine. In this control system, a failure of the catalyst temperature rise acceleration control is diagnosed according to the engine rotational speed and/or a retard amount of the ignition timing during the execution of the catalyst temperature rise acceleration control. The above failure may also be diagnosed according to at least one of the ignition timing and the engine rotational speed when decreasing the intake air amount during the execution of the catalyst temperature rise acceleration control. The above failure may also be diagnosed according to a detected catalyst temperature and an estimated catalyst temperature.

Abstract: It is intended to provide a DC offset cancel circuit capable of canceling DC offset regardless TDMA system and non-TDMA system, with simple circuit structure, and applicable to dual-mode-structured receivers. Out of output signals having at least two or more phases (OUT1, OUT2, . . . ), at least any one of the signals (OUT1, . . . ) is inputted to a phase converter unit. A signal outputted from the phase converter unit and any one of other signals not inputted to the phase converter unit (OUT 2, . . . ) are inputted to a comparator unit. A comparison result obtained at the comparator unit is fedback to a signal processing section and DC offset components are cancelled. Through the phase converter unit, phase of a signal is converted so as to make phases of signals to be compared same. Thereby, signal components of different phases are cancelled out each other and DC offset components as DC components can be compared.

Abstract: A main frame is supported in a box, by first elastic members. An optical disc driving device is mounted on the main frame. A sub-frame is supported on the main frame by second elastic members.

Abstract: A display panel of the display apparatus is encompassed by a front case from the front and by a rear case from the back. The display apparatus includes a first attachment structure capable of attaching/detaching the front case on the front side, and a second attachment structure A formed on the four corners of the rear case for attaching the display apparatus to the wall. The attachment operation for attaching the display apparatus to the wall is performed while the front case is detached. After the completion of attaching the display apparatus on the wall, the front case is attached by way of the first attachment structure to prevent the second attachment structure A from being exposed to the front.

Abstract: An information reading/recording method and system are provided for effecting data transmission among a plurality of information processing apparatuses. The method and the system include reading and transmitting information data recorded on a recording medium of one information processing apparatus, in accordance with a transmission request from another information processing apparatus. The method and system also includes rendering ineffective a predetermined unit amount of information data recorded on the recording medium of the one information processing apparatus, at a time a predetermined unit amount of information data has already been transmitted therefrom, and recording the predetermined unit amount of information data that has already been transmitted therefrom. In addition, the method and system include recording the predetermined unit amount of transmitted information data in the another information processing apparatus which has received the transmitted information data.

Abstract: A vane type fluid machine includes: a casing; a rotor rotating in the casing; and a plurality of vanes supported by the rotor to slide on an inner surface of the casing. A seal portion of each vane is formed to be elastically deformable so as to slide on the inner surface of the casing while bending backward of a rotational direction of the rotor. Therefore, an improved structure of the seal portion of each vane secures good sealing performance even if machining accuracy of the inner surface of the casing is alleviated.

Abstract: A lamp body control system includes a steering angle sensor, a light emitting unit which can change a illuminating direction laterally, a driving unit changing the illuminating direction, a control unit controlling the driving unit based on an output from the steering angle sensor, and a straight driving condition determining unit determining the straight ahead driving condition of a vehicle. The control unit directs the illuminating direction to a direction according to a steering direction and a variation in the steering angle in the event that the variation is larger than a predetermined value, whereas in the event that the variation is equal to or smaller than the predetermined value, the control unit returns the illuminating direction toward a forward direction of the vehicle at a predetermined returning speed until the determining unit determines that the vehicle is in a straight driving condition after an ignition switch is turned on.