Abstract: A control apparatus controls an ultrasonic motor. The ultrasonic motor includes a stator, a piezoelectric element provided in the stator, and a rotor. The rotor is slidably pressed against the stator. When a driving high frequency voltage is applied to the piezoelectric element, the stator is vibrated to rotate the rotor. The control apparatus includes measuring means. The measuring means changes the frequency of a searching high frequency voltage, the searching high frequency voltage being lower than the driving high frequency voltage, thereby measuring a resonance frequency of the ultrasonic motor. The control apparatus drives the motor in a favorable manner.

Abstract: Tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS) has been used extensively for solving various biological problems, such as structure identification of oligopeptides, nucleic acids, and nucleotides. One of the main advances of MS/MS is that it lends itself to the quantitative and qualitative analysis of certain analytes and complex mixtures with little or no clean up. Quantitative analysis of amino acids and acylcarnitines using tandem mass spectrometry used to screen neonatal dried blood spot samples for disorders in the metabolism of amino acids, organic acids and fatty acids is an emerging technology. The method described herein extends the use of tandem mass spectrometry to the analysis of &agr;-hydroxyketones and hexose phosphates from blood spots for newborn screening. Thus, according to this invention one test can be used to screen a number of neonatal disorders and diseases.

Abstract: In a disk loading apparatus according to the present invention, a clamp section is configured so as to be floatable in a direction perpendicular to the direction of disk insertion and so as to be lifted up and thereby go outside the path of disk insertion when being confronted with the inserted disk, while a traverse unit of a pickup is configured so as to position a turntable in the replay waiting position and the replay position by the rotational motion.

Abstract: A dental handpiece for the polymerization of photosetting resins or compounds comprising as its polymerizing light source, at least one LED incorporated in the handpiece, the electrical supply signal for the LED light source being drawn from connectors of other types of hand pieces and being processed by means of an appropriate electronic circuit in order to make the electrical supply signal suitable for bias of said LED light source.

Abstract: A car cigarette lighter includes a lighter main body, a cylindrical socket body, and a cylindrical case. The lighter main body is selectively inserted into the socket body. An ash disposal hole is formed in the socket body for discharging ash from inside the socket body to the outside of the socket body. The case covers the socket body. A discharge hole is formed in the case for discharging liquid from inside the case to the outside of the case. This prevents ash from being discharged outside the cigarette lighter and lets liquid that has entered inside the cigarette lighter, to be discharged outside.

Abstract: A floating-point ALU that performs an IEEE rounding and an addition in parallel in a simultaneous rounding method (SRM) type floating-point adder. The floating-point ALU includes an alignment/normalization section for bypassing or inverting a first fraction part and a second fraction part, performing an alignment by performing a right shift as much as a value obtained from an exponent part or performing a normalization through a left shift by calculating a leading zero with respect to the first fraction part, and obtaining a guard bit (G), round bit (R), and sticky bit (Sy); and an addition and rounding operation section for performing a addition and rounding with respect to the first fraction part and second fraction part outputted through the alignment/normalization section. According to the floating-point ALU, the processing time and the hardware size can be reduced, and the hardware of the SRM can be used as it is.

Abstract: A solid state imaging device that optimally thins out charges in the horizontal direction even when performing color imaging. The solid state imagine device includes pixels for storing the charges, a horizontal shift register, an output circuit, and a drain section. The horizontal shift register includes bit regions for retrieving the charges transferred from the vertical shift registers. The horizontal shift register thins out the information charges accumulated in the pixels at a ratio of m/n (m, n both being natural numbers and satisfying m<n) and horizontally transfers the thinned out charges. The drain section is connected to a k·(n−m) (k being a natural number) number of the bit regions in a k·n number of bit regions. The horizontal shift register transfers the information charges of the k·(n−m) number of the bit regions to the drain section.

Abstract: A hydraulic duct for feeding fluid at high pressure comprising a metal tube, a flexible tube of elastic material and a connector is provided with at least one main projection and a plurality of auxiliary projections, and the main projection is bounded on the side of the flexible tube by a conical surface. The flexible tube is fitted on the connector and is enclosed by an aluminium bell of a profile which can be coupled with the projections of the connector and is adapted to prevent the flexible tube from slipping off and to ensure fluid-tightness. The bell has an end rim which abuts against the conical portion of the main projection which faces towards the flexible tube.

Abstract: A switch device in a steering wheel includes a front switch assembly and a back switch. The front switch assembly is provided on a front side of the steering wheel that faces the driver, and rotates integrally with the steering wheel. The back switch is provided on a back side of the steering wheel. The front switch assembly includes at least one front switch. The front switch assembly also includes a circuit board. A front switch light source is provided on the circuit board. The front switch light source illuminates a switch marking provided on the front switch. On the circuit board is also provided a back switch light source for illuminating a switch marking provided on the back switch. Accordingly, a manipulation switch on the steering wheel is reliably illuminated regardless of the rotation angle of the steering wheel.

Abstract: A solid-state imaging apparatus having a CCD image capturing circuit includes an exposure time control circuit which analyzes the image signal generated by the image capturing circuit and generates a control signal to adjust an image exposure time. A balance control circuit also receives the control signal and updates gain control information used by an image processing circuit that generates color difference data (U/V data) from the image signal.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a process for producing arachidonic acid. In one embodiment, Mortierella sect. schmuckeri microorganisms are cultured in fermentation medium, preferably containing a component of a complex nitrogen source. Further disclosed is a food product which includes Mortierella sect. schmuckeri microorganisms or lipid isolated from such microorganisms to enhance the arachidonic acid content of the food product.

Abstract: A pile guide, for supporting a pile as it is driven into a substrate, has a base frame and a pile guide member mounted on the base frame. The base frame comprises one or more substrate-engaging supports, moveable between an inoperative position and an operative position, with movement of the or each substrate-engaging support into the operative position resulting in an increase in the area of the base frame which, in use, rests on the substrate.

Abstract: The invention provides a method for producing elastic knitted fabric on a Raschel or tricot machine. The method utilizes a four bar knitting structure and four thread feeders. The needle guides of the first and fourth bars are threaded with non-elastic yarn, while the needle guides of the second and third bars are threaded with elastic yarn. Each elastic thread is worked in plating with the respective non- elastic thread.

Abstract: The present invention provides a plasma display panel (PDP) capable of simplifying the number of processes, reducing costs for materials, improving an exhausting function and preventing erroneous discharge and cross-talk phenomena between neighboring cells. The present invention provides a plasma display panel (PDP), including: a vertical barrier rib and a horizontal barrier rib, wherein the vertical barrier rib and the horizontal barrier rib form a hexagonal shape to encompass discharge cell region in all directions; a connection barrier rib connecting the vertical barrier rib to the horizontal barrier rib, wherein the connection barrier rib have a groove at a central portion thereof so that a length of the horizontal barrier rib is shorter than a distance between the vertical barrier ribs, and a gas-passing path formed above a top surface of the horizontal barrier rib of which height is lowered with respect to a surface of the vertical barrier rib.

Abstract: A toothed belt comprising a body made of elastomeric material, embedded in which is a plurality of longitudinal filiform resistant inserts, and comprising a toothging coated with a coating fabric; on top of the coating fabric a resistant layer is made to adhere, which increases the resistance to wear of the toothed belt and which comprises a fluorine-based plastomer with elastomeric material added, in which the plastomer is present in an amount greater than that of the elastomeric material. Preferably, the plastomer is polytetrafluoroethylene, and the elastomeric material comprises HNBR. Advantageously, the resistant layer has a thickness of between 0.01 and 1.5 mm, and between the coating fabric and the resistant layer is set an adhesive material.

Abstract: An ultrasonic motor has a stator and a rotor which is press fit to the stator and rotates in accordance with the vibration of the stator. The stator includes a pair of metal blocks, a piezoelectric element located between the metal blocks, a tightening member and a positioning member. The tightening member is inserted through the metal blocks and the piezoelectric element to tighten the metal blocks and the piezoelectric element in the axial direction. The positioning member determines the radial position of the metal blocks. This reduces misalignment of metal blocks and the tightening member, and the stator for the ultrasonic motor.

Abstract: A wiper device has a pair of pivot holders each of which supports a pivot shaft and a pipe frame that connects the pivot holders to each other. When each pivot holder is fitted in an end of the pipe frame, the pipe frame is subjected to caulking to engage the pipe frame with recesses that are formed in the surfaces of the pivot holders. Each recess is shaped and located such that the open angle of the recess is constantly greater than zero and equal to or greater than the shaft angle of the corresponding pivot shaft, as viewed along any cross-sectional plane that includes a normal line corresponding to a maximum depth portion of the recess. As a result, the pivot holders are secured to the pipe frame easily and reliably, and the pivot holders are manufactured with a reduced cost.