Abstract: A carrier is used to carry a liquid, and a high voltage is applied between a discharge end of the carrier and an opposed electrode to emit ionized liquid particles. The carrier has a liquid collecting end opposite to the discharge end to feed the steam of the liquid from a steam generator, condensing the liquid therearound, and feeding the condensed liquid to the discharge end. Accordingly, even when the liquid contains cations such as those of Ca and Mg, the steam of the liquid can extremely reduce the content of these impurities, avoiding the precipitation of the impurities at the discharge end of the carrier to assure stable electrostatic atomization.

Abstract: A lighting apparatus with LED includes a metal-made main body 90; a plurality of LED chip units 1 each including an LED chip and a pair of lead terminals 42, 43 electrically connected to electrodes of the LED chip; and a dielectric layer 80 disposed between the main body 90 and each LED chip unit 1 for making electrical insulation therebetween as well as bond the same. The circuit board 20 is formed with a plurality of windows 23 through which the individual LED chip units 1 extend respectively with the lead terminals held in electrical contact with the circuit pattern of the circuit board at the circumference of the window, each of the LED chip units being thermally coupled at its bottom face with the main body 90 through the dielectric layer 80, and the heat generated in the LED chip is conducted to the main body through the dielectric layer without passing through the circuit board.

Abstract: An OLED driver for driving at least one organic electroluminescence element, lighting apparatus equipped with the driver and an adjustment method of the apparatus. The driver has a square-wave voltage source and a controller. The source generates square-wave voltage and applies the voltage to the element. The controller controls the source so as to change the frequency of the voltage to change and adjust light output of the element.

Abstract: A plastic lens includes: a plastic lens base material; a hard coat layer formed on the plastic lens base material; an organic antireflection film formed on the hard coat layer; and a primer layer between the plastic lens base material and the hard coat layer. The plastic lens base material contains at least a sulfur atom. The hard coat layer contains at least: fine metal oxide particles containing a titanium oxide having a rutile-type crystalline structure; and an organosilicon compound represented by a general formula of R1SiX13. The antireflection film contains a coating composition containing at least: an organosilicon compound represented by a general formula of XmR23-mSi—Y—SiR23-mXm; an epoxy group-containing organic compound containing one or more epoxy group in a molecule; and fine silica particles with average particle size of 1 to 150 nm, the antireflection film having a refractive index lower than that of the hard coat layer by 0.10 or more.

Abstract: It is aimed at providing a coating material composite capable of having a lower refractive index and keeping higher antiscratching property, antifouling property, chemical resistance, and anticrack property even when the coating material composite is used to form a coating on a malleable substrate such as plastic substrates and exposed to high temperatures upon formation of the coating and after formation of the coating.

Abstract: A heatsink carries a UV-ray light emitting diode. Flow passages for causing circulation of a fluid that cools the UV-ray light emitting diode are opened in the heatsink. Supply ports and discharge ports are opened in a mount surface of a header where supply and discharge of the fluid for cooling purpose to and from the heatsink are performed. A pair of circulation orifices corresponding to the supply port and the discharge port are opened in the contact surface that contacts the mount surface in the heatsink. Recesses are formed around the respective circulation orifices, and an annular sealing member that exhibits rubber elasticity and that is compressed between the heatsink and the header is disposed in each of the recesses.

Abstract: A package has a base substrate that is a metal plate electrically connected to one electrode of a UV-ray light emitting diode and a cover substrate that is a metal plate electrically connected to the other electrode and that is stacked on the base substrate. A plurality of packages are mounted on a header such that center lines of the base substrates extending in their widthwise directions are aligned to each other. The cover substrates are arranged asymmetrical with respect to the longitudinal center line of the base substrates so as to traverse the center line. When mounted on the header, the packages are arranged such that positions of the cover substrates are staggered with respect to the center line. Moreover, the base substrate of one of the adjacent packages and the cover substrate of the other adjacent package are connected together by a connection plate fastened to the base substrates and the cover substrate by connection screws.

Abstract: The present invention aims to provide an orthodontic appliance capable of efficiently applying vibration to teeth to be aligned and enabling a treatment to be easily and safely continued even at home. This appliance is provided with a load applying mechanism and a vibration generating actuator. The load applying mechanism is mounted on teeth to apply a load for the malocclusion correction to a specified tooth in the teeth. The vibration generating actuator includes a contact portion that is inserted into a buccal cavity containing the teeth and can come into contact with a part of the load applying mechanism corresponding to the specified tooth or the specified tooth, and applies a vibration force from the contact portion to the specified tooth or the part of the load applying mechanism.

Abstract: This connector assembly comprises a pair of receptacles 1, and an attachment member 2. Each receptacle comprises a housing 10, and substrate terminals 11. The attachment member 2 comprises a pair of holders 20, and connection members 21. The connection members comprise first connection members 21a and second connection members 21b. Each of the first and second connection members have, respectively, a link section 200, 210 disposed between the pair of holders, and connection terminals 201, 211 formed at both ends of the link section. The first connection members connect between the substrate terminals arranged on a side of each housing which is near the opposite housing, and the second connection members connect between the substrate terminals arranged on a side far from the opposite housing. The link section of each first connection member is disposed nearer to the printed circuit boards than the link section each second connection member.

Abstract: A compact memory card connector with an extended communication distance is provided. This connector has a loading port at its one end, through which a memory card can be accommodated therein. The connector is equipped with a base made of an electrical insulating material, a plurality of contacts arranged on the base so as to electrically contact connecting terminals of the memory card inserted in the connector, and an antenna block, which houses a secondary antenna and is slidable in a direction of inserting the memory card into the connector.

Abstract: In a cleaner, a fuel cell is provided as a power supply and power generated by the fuel cell is used for driving a pump which pumps up ethanol as cleaning liquid to a cleaning pan or a fan for drying, and also used for charging a shaver. Since the cleaner is not required to be installed in a water section unlike a conventional cleaner, a selection range of storage place of the shaver can be widened; since power supply wiring is not required, troublesomeness due to power supply wiring is eliminated and convenience is enhanced furthermore. Heat of the fuel cell is introduced through a heat pipe to the blade edge and used for drying it, thus enhancing energy utilization efficiency of the fuel cell.

Abstract: The present invention discloses a GPS system that uses call-processor intelligence to determine the mode of operation of a GPS receiver located in a GPS terminal. The modes are selected based on the availability of network facilities, the GPS information that can be acquired, or user input requirements.

Abstract: A massage machine includes a backrest having a support surface for sustaining a back of a user, the support surface having an opening, a massage member for making contact with the back of the user through the opening of the support surface to perform a massage and a drive unit for causing the massage member to perform the massage. In the massage machine, a first intensity adjustment unit is arranged for changing the position of the massage member to adjust the massage intensity of the massage member and a second intensity adjustment unit is arranged for changing the position of the support surface to adjust the massage intensity of the massage member. A control circuit controls the operation of the drive unit, the first intensity adjustment unit and the second intensity adjustment unit.

Abstract: A light-emitting device of the present invention includes: a LED chip 10; a chip mounting member 70 having a conductive plate (heat transfer plate) 71 one surface side of which the LED chip 10 is mounted on and a conductor patterns 73, 73 which is formed on the one surface side of the conductive plate 71 through an insulating part 72 and electrically connected to the LED chip 10; and a sheet-shaped connecting member 80 disposed on the other surface side of the conductive plate 71 to connect the conductive plate 71 to a body of the luminaire 90 which is a metal member for holding the chip mounting member 70. The connecting member 80 is made of a resin sheet which includes a filler and whose viscosity is reduced by heating, and the connecting member 80 has an electrical insulating property and thermally connects the conductive plate 71 and the body 90 of the luminaire to each other.

Abstract: A discharge lamp ballast is designed to limit or interrupt its AC output power to the discharge lamp upon occurrence of an abnormal discharge outside of an arc tube. A detector is included to examine a lamp voltage once in each of the positive and negative half-cycles or in each one complete cycle of the AC output power, and identifies the abnormal discharge when there is a particular change in the monitored lamp voltage. The particular change may be defined by a single logic or by combination of several logics each designed to represent specific characteristic for the abnormal discharges of several types.

Abstract: The micro relay of the present invention comprises a base substrate 3, an armature block 5, and a cover 7. The base substrate 3 has a storage recess 41 for accommodating an electromagnetic device 1. The storage recess is composed of a hole 41a penetrating the base substrate 3 and a thin storage recess lid fixed on the one surface of the base substrate to close the hole. The electromagnetic device 1 is isolated from a contact mechanism by the storage recess lid 41b to increase the reliability of the contacts. The electromagnetic device 1 includes a yoke 10, a coil 11 wound around the yoke to generate a flux in response to an exciting current, and a permanent magnet 12 secured to the yoke to generate a flux flowing through an armature 51 and the yoke 10. Because the permanent magnet 12 is secured to the yoke 10, this micro relay can reduce the thickness.

Abstract: The perimeter comprises a display device 1, infrared light-emitting diodes 2, a CCD camera 3, a half mirror 4, an image processing device 5, a computer 6, and an operating switch 7. The computer 6 shows a fixed eye-target for fixing a line of sight of a subject and a light stimulus eye-target for giving a light stimulus to a pupil of the subject at a plurality of predetermined positions on the display device 1. The infrared light-emitting diodes 2 irradiate infrared light to an eye of the subject. The CCD camera 3 takes an image of the eye of the subject using the infrared light irradiated from the infrared light-emitting diodes 2. The image processing device 5 detects a pupil diameter of the subject based on the image taken by the CCD camera 3. The computer 6 measures a visual field of the subject based on the change of the pupil diameter of the subject detected by the image processing device 5.

Abstract: An image recognizing method is provided, which includes the capability of efficiently recognizing characters such as letters and numerical characters included in an original image with accuracy when at least one of the characters is composed of plural elements. In this method, the elements in the original image are extracted to obtain a second image, in which each of the elements is enclosed by a rectangular frame. Then, a composite image is prepared with respect to a combination of the rectangular frames in the second image. After calculating a characteristic amount of the elements included in the composite image, the characteristic amount is input in a back-propagation network, in which learning about a reference character(s) to be included in the image has already finished, so that a degree of agreement between the characteristic amount of the composite image and the reference character is obtained.

Abstract: A moving object detection apparatus comprises a transmitter, a receiver, a detection portion, a binary conversion portion and a judgment portion. The transmitter emits energy waves with a first frequency to a detection area. When receiving incoming energy waves from the detection area, the receiver generates an electric signal corresponding to the incoming energy waves. The detection portion obtains a detection signal from a reference signal with the first frequency and the electric signal. The binary conversion portion compares the detection signal with a conversion threshold signal to obtain a binary signal. The judgment portion judges whether or not a moving object approaching or leaving the receiver exists in the detection area based on the binary signal.

Abstract: A body fat measuring device comprises electrodes brought into contact with the waist portion of a subject, an optical sensor composed of a light applying section and a light receiving section, an impedance computing section for computing the impedance between the electrodes, a subcutaneous fat thickness computing section for computing the thickness of the subcutaneous fat of the subject from the value detected by the optical sensor, and a body fat computing section which subtracts the amount of subcutaneous fat determined using the thickness of the subcutaneous fat computed by the subcutaneous thickness computing section from the total fat amount of the subject determined using the impedance computed by the impedance computing section so as to determine the visceral fat amount of the subject. With this, not only the accuracy of measurement of the visceral fat amount is improved but also the visceral fat amount of the subject can be easily computed even without a database.