Abstract: [Problem to be solved] To provide a method for sterilizing powder or grain by which the heating time is a minimum required time to reduce thermal degradation of the quality of the powder or grain while securing sufficient sterilization effect, and a sterilizing apparatus employing the method. [Means to solve the problem] The problem is solved by a method for sterilizing powder or grain, and a sterilizing apparatus employing the method, and the method includes applying heat and pressure in which powder or grain is supplied into a heated gas flow pipe kept under heated and pressurized conditions, and the powder or grain is transferred while coming into direct contact with a heated condensable gas in the heated gas flow pipe for 0.

Abstract: An external-force detecting apparatus includes at least one drive line connecting the corresponding drive electrodes to a driving unit and at least one monitor line connecting the corresponding monitor electrodes to the driving unit. The driving unit outputs a drive signal to the at least one of the drive electrodes through the at least one of the drive lines to drive an oscillator and performs automatic gain control to the level of the drive signal based on the oscillation state of the oscillator acquired from the at least one of the monitor electrodes through the at least one of the monitor lines.

Abstract: A lens drive device may include a thrust direction stopper mechanism which includes a thrust movement preventing abutting part of the movable body and a thrust movement preventing abutted part of the fixed body for restricting a moving range toward an object side of the movable body, and a radial direction stopper mechanism which includes a radial movement preventing abutting part of the movable body and a radial movement preventing abutted part of the fixed body for restricting a moving range in a radial direction of the movable body. The moving range in the radial direction under an inclined posture of the movable body with respect to an optic axis is restricted over all directions by the radial direction stopper mechanism and the thrust direction stopper mechanism.

Abstract: A component mounting apparatus includes a component feeder that feeds a component with its bump electrodes facing down, a mounting head that mounts the component onto a substrate, a supporting base that secures the substrate, and a positioning device that aligns the component with the substrate. The mounting head includes an ultrasonic vibration generator, an ultrasonic vibration propagation member that conveys the ultrasonic vibration provided by the ultrasonic vibration generator to a working face holding the component as vibration parallel thereto, a pressure loader that applies a pressure load to the working face from a position immediately thereabove in the direction perpendicular thereto, and a heater that heats the vicinity of the working face. Thereby, ultrasonic bonding is carried out with high reliability even if the component has a number of bump electrodes on its face.

Abstract: Disclosed is a halogen- and phosphorus-free flame-retardant adhesive resin composition which can be used in heat contact bonding of adherends at or below 250° C. and is excellent in heat resistance, solder heat resistance after moisture absorption, and processability. Also disclosed is an adhesive film produced from said composition. The flame-retardant adhesive resin composition comprises 65-98% by weight of a silicone unit-containing polyimide resin and 2-35% by weight of an epoxy resin having an acenaphthylene-substituted naphthalene skeleton. The adhesive film produced from the flame-retardant adhesive resin composition is suitable as an adhesive for a laminate for a multiplayer printed circuit board substrate, an adhesive for a hybrid circuit board substrate, and an adhesive for a coverlay film.

Abstract: A lens drive device may include a fixed body, a movable body having a lens, a magnetic drive mechanism for magnetically driving the movable body in a lens optical axis direction, and a spring member which connects the movable body with the fixed body. The fixed body may include a base disposed on an imaging element side, a shield member which is formed in a cover shape and which is provided with a side plate part whose imaging element side end part is abutted with an object side face of the base, and a ground terminal which is a different member from the shield member and connected with the shield member. An imaging element side face of the ground terminal is supported by a ground terminal support part formed on the object side face of the base and a gap space is formed between the object side face of the ground terminal and an end part of the side plate part of the shield member.

Abstract: A lens drive device may include a thrust direction stopper mechanism which includes a thrust movement preventing abutting part of the movable body and a thrust movement preventing abutted part of the fixed body for restricting a moving range toward an object side of the movable body, and a radial direction stopper mechanism which includes a radial movement preventing abutting part of the movable body and a radial movement preventing abutted part of the fixed body for restricting a moving range in a radial direction of the movable body. The moving range in the radial direction under an inclined posture of the movable body with respect to an optic axis is restricted over all directions by the radial direction stopper mechanism and the thrust direction stopper mechanism.

Abstract: There is provided a calcium receptor modulator comprising a compound of the formula (I): wherein ring A is an optionally substituted 5- to 7-membered ring; ring B is an optionally substituted 5- to 7-membered heterocyclic ring; X1 is CR1, CR1R2, N or NR13; X2 is N or NR3; Y is C, CR4 or N, Z is CR5, CR5R6, N or NR7; Ar is an optionally substituted cyclic group; R is H, an optionally substituted hydrocarbon group, etc.; and is a single bond or a double bond; R1, R2, R3, R4, R5, R6, R7 and R13 are independently H, an optionally substituted hydrocarbon group; or a salt thereof or a prodrug thereof. Compounds of the formula (II) and (III): wherein ring A is an optionally substituted 5- to 7-membered ring; Q is C, CR5 or N; R8, R9, R10, R11 and R12 are independently, H, an optionally substituted hydrocarbon group, etc., or a salt thereof are also provided. Also specify X1, R3, R1, Y and X3 in formula (II) and (III) as before.

Abstract: In a discrimination apparatus of the invention, a banknote or another paper as an object of discrimination is irradiated with ultraviolet radiation from an array of multiple ultraviolet-emitting LEDs. The ultraviolet radiation passes through a visible radiation block filter and is focused onto a preset site of the banknote by a lens. Multiple photodiodes are used to measure the transmitted light of ultraviolet radiation and the fluorescence, which is excited by the ultraviolet radiation from the banknote. The discrimination apparatus of the invention discriminates counterfeit banknotes from genuine banknotes, based on the observed pattern of the transmitted light over a preset range of the banknote. The technique of the invention desirably enhances the accuracy of discrimination in the discrimination apparatus that discriminates counterfeit banknotes from genuine banknotes.

Abstract: There is provided a calcium receptor modulator comprising a compound of the formula (I): wherein ring A is an optionally substituted 5- to 7-membered ring; ring B is an optionally substituted 5- to 7-membered heterocyclic ring; X1 is CR1, CR1R2, N or NR13; X2 is N or NR3; Y is C, CR4 or N, Z is CR5, CR5R6, N or NR7; Ar is an optionally substituted cyclic group; R is H, an optionally substituted hydrocarbon group, etc.; and ?is a single bond or a double bond; R1, R2, R3, R4, R5, R6, R7 and R13 are independently H, an optionally substituted hydrocarbon group; or a salt thereof or a prodrug thereof. Compounds of the formula (II) and (III): wherein ring A is an optionally substituted 5- to 7-membered ring; Q is C, CR5 or N; R8, R9, R10, R11 and R12 are independently, H, an optionally substituted hydrocarbon group, etc., or a salt thereof are also provided. Also specify X1, R3, R1, Y and X3 in formula (II) and (III) as before.

Abstract: A technology that increases bill discrimination precision, wherein a bill discriminating apparatus detects the thickness distribution of a bill P that is subject to discrimination, and by comparing this thickness distribution data and the reference thickness distribution data that shows the thickness distribution of an authentic note held in advance, performs discrimination processing that includes double feed detection, tape detection, and authenticity discrimination. Then, authenticity discrimination is performed on areas for which the difference between the thickness distribution data and the reference thickness data is within a specified range.

Abstract: A technology that increases bill discrimination precision, wherein a bill discriminating apparatus detects the thickness distribution of a bill P that is subject to discrimination, and by comparing this thickness distribution data and the reference thickness distribution data that shows the thickness distribution of an authentic note held in advance, performs discrimination processing that includes double feed detection, tape detection, and authenticity discrimination. Then, authenticity discrimination is performed on areas for which the difference between the thickness distribution data and the reference thickness data is within a specified range.

Abstract: The oscillation type inertial force sensor includes an oscillator arranged to detect an inertial force, an oscillation circuit unit arranged to drive the oscillator, and a signal processing circuit unit arranged to generate a signal according to the magnitude of the inertial force on the basis of a detection output of the oscillator, and further includes a holding arranged to hold a processed signal in the signal processing circuit unit at a predetermined potential during a period immediately after power-on until operation of the oscillation circuit unit becomes stable in response to power-on.

Abstract: A technology that increases bill discrimination precision, wherein a bill discriminating apparatus detects the thickness distribution of a bill P that is subject to discrimination, and by comparing this thickness distribution data and the reference thickness distribution data that shows the thickness distribution of an authentic note held in advance, performs discrimination processing that includes double feed detection, tape detection, and authenticity discrimination. Then, authenticity discrimination is performed on areas for which the difference between the thickness distribution data and the reference thickness data is within a specified range.

Abstract: The gas-barrier multi-layer structure of the present invention comprises at least one gas-barrier layer A and at lease one thermoplastic resin layer B. The gas-barrier layer A comprises a crystallizable polyamide resin which is produced by the polycondensation of a diamine component mainly comprising m-xylylenediamine with a dicarboxylic acid component comprising a C4-C20 ?,?-linear aliphatic dicarboxylic acid and isophthalic acid in a specific proportion so as to have a particular crystallization behavior. The gas-barrier multi-layer structure is excellent in the fabricability such as deep drawing ability and can be fabricated into a highly transparent shaped article with less discoloration and malodor generation.

Abstract: A component mounting apparatus includes a component feeder that feeds a component with its bump electrodes facing down, a mounting head that mounts the component onto a substrate, a supporting base that secures the substrate, and a positioning device that aligns the component with the substrate. The mounting head includes an ultrasonic vibration generator, an ultrasonic vibration propagation member that conveys the ultrasonic vibration provided by the ultrasonic vibration generator to a working face holding the component as vibration parallel thereto, a pressure loader that applies a pressure load to the working face from a position immediately thereabove in the direction perpendicular thereto, and a heater that heats the vicinity of the working face. Thereby, ultrasonic bonding is carried out with high reliability even if the component has a number of bump electrodes on its face.

Abstract: The oscillation type inertial force sensor includes an oscillator arranged to detect an inertial force, an oscillation circuit unit arranged to drive the oscillator, and a signal processing circuit unit arranged to generate a signal according to the magnitude of the inertial force on the basis of a detection output of the oscillator, and further includes a holding arranged to hold a processed signal in the signal processing circuit unit at a predetermined potential during a period immediately after power-on until operation of the oscillation circuit unit becomes stable in response to power-on.

Abstract: A component mounting apparatus includes a component feeder (20) that feeds a component (2) with its bump electrodes facing down, a mounting head (5) that mounts the component onto a substrate (3), a supporting base (8) that secures the substrate, and a positioning device (6, 7) that aligns the component with the substrate. The mounting head includes an ultrasonic vibration generator (24), an ultrasonic vibration propagation member (34, 38, 54) that conveys the ultrasonic vibration provided by the ultrasonic vibration generator to a working face (33, 41, 57) holding the component as vibration parallel thereto, a pressure loader (22, 23, 39, 55, 59) that applies a pressure load to the working face from a position immediately thereabove in the direction perpendicular thereto, and a heater (32, 47, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53) that heats the vicinity of the working face. Thereby, ultrasonic bonding is carried out with high reliability even if the component has a number of bump electrodes (2a) on its face.

Abstract: A thermostat independently controlling cooling water passages of two circuits, including a first valve body having first and second passages in constant communication. A third passage is selectively connected to those passages. Communication of the third passage is disconnected when the cooling water temperature is below a prescribed temperature, and the valve is opened when the cooling water temperature is equal to or higher than the prescribed temperature. A second valve body, having fourth and fifth passages selectively in communication, closes the valve to disconnect those passages when the cooling water temperature is below the prescribed temperature, and opens the valve by operating the first valve body to link the passages when the cooling water temperature is equal to or higher than the prescribed temperature. A tubular sleeve prevents first and second control chambers, respectively including the first and second valve bodies, from communicating with each other.

Abstract: Improving reducing or eliminating the effects of variation in characteristics of the resonance circuit in a resonance type displacement detection apparatus, so as to improve displacement detection accuracy. In a displacement detection system 10, the resonance frequency range assumable by the resonance circuit 21 is estimated in advance, there is determined a drive frequency variation range f1–f2 such that the estimated resonance frequency range is included therein, and by means of a variable oscillator 30, drive frequency is repeatedly varied between the first frequency f1 and the second frequency f2. Accordingly, where the resonance frequency of the resonance circuit 21 is fr1, when the drive frequency has changed to fr1, resonance voltage Vgl1 may be obtained in the case of large gap G. Where the resonance frequency of the resonance circuit 21 is fr2, when the drive frequency has changed to fr2, resonance voltage Vgl2 may be obtained in the case of large gap G.