Abstract: A thermoelectric power generating timepiece (1) comprises a dial (30), a movement (40), and a heat conduction sheet (50), provided within an enclosed space, defined by a case (10) made of metal, with a glass (20) fixedly attached thereto, and a case back (70), and further comprises a thermoelectric element (60), housed in a gap between the heat conduction sheet (50) and the case back (70). The case back 70 is made of two kinds of materials each having a thermal conductivity differing from that of the other. The case back (70) is made up of a heat conducting part (71) made of material, such as metal, and the like, having a high thermal conductivity, and formed in a shape larger in outer size than the thermoelectric element (60), so as to be disposed opposite to the thermoelectric element (60), and a heat insulating part (72) made of material having a low thermal conductivity such as plastics, and the like, and formed so as to be disposed on the outside of the heat conducting part (71).

Abstract: An ink jet printing head includes a common ink channel and a plurality of ejectors (each of which includes a nozzle and a pressure generation chamber which is filled with ink supplied from the common ink channel) which are connected to the common ink channel for ejecting ink drops. The common ink channel is provided with an air damper, and acoustic capacitance Cp of the common ink channel per ejector is set based on acoustic capacitance Cn of the nozzle and acoustic capacitance Cc of the pressure generation chamber. For example, the acoustic capacitance Cp of the common ink channel per ejector is set so as to satisfy two conditions: Cp>Cn and Cp>20 Cc.

Abstract: The invention relates to an ink cartridge wherein a remaining amount of ink can be detected using an optical sensor. The ink cartridge has a window, for detection of an ink remaining amount, that is inclined at a predetermined angle with respect to the vertical direction. Inside of the ink cartridge, a preventive member is vertically provided. When the ink level is up to the window, light irradiated from the optical sensor permeates the window. Then, the light passes through the ink and reaches the preventive member. Preferably, the window is inclined approximately 20 degrees with respect to the preventive member. Accordingly, an incident angle of the light that has reached the preventive member is different from an incident angle of the light to the window. Thus, most of the light that has reached the preventive member is absorbed or is reflected by the preventive member in a direction different from the incident direction, so that the light reflected toward the optical sensor can be restricted.

Abstract: In a calibration data input process, a carriage 5 is moved toward an ink sensor 19 to a prescribed position while the ink sensor 19 detecting levels of reflected light. Then the amount of reflected light is read for over a range wider than the width of the carriage 5 including a theoretical detecting position P2. An actual detecting position P1 is found based on the level of reflected light. The difference between the theoretical detecting position P2 and the actual detecting position P1 is calculated and is stored as the calibration value &agr; in a first calibration data memory M1. Accordingly, the actual detecting position P1 is set as P2±&agr;. The calibration value &agr; is used in a calibration process to calibrate the detecting position, so that the level of reflected light can be detected with accuracy.

Abstract: To accurately position and fix an ink cartridge on an ink cartridge mounting unit, a first engaging depression is formed in the bottom wall of the ink cartridge and a corresponding protrusion is formed in the mounting unit. Also, an ink supply port is formed in the bottom wall. When the ink cartridge is mounted on the mounting unit, the ink supply port is engaged first with an ink supply channel formed in the mounting unit and fluidly connected to the head unit. Then, the first engaging depression is brought into engagement with the corresponding protrusion in the mounting unit. A second engaging depression is further formed in the top. The engaging pawl of a locking arm engages the second engaging depression when the locking arm locks the ink cartridge to the head unit. Further, a pair of ribs is provided on the rear side wall of the ink cartridge. The ribs oppose each other with a prescribed interval.

Abstract: A soundproof cover to be mounted on the engine of an automobile is provided. The soundproof cover includes a foam material having a mixed cell structure of open cells and closed cells and a water absorption coefficient of 0.01 g/cm3 or more and less than 0.5 g/cm3. The foam material is provided along the circumferential rim of a cover main body surface facing an engine, and projects to the engine side by a predetermined height such that the foam material closes the gap with respect to the engine at the time it is mounted on the engine.

Abstract: A test piece analyzing apparatus is provided which includes a releasably fixed absorbent member, a horizontally reciprocative pinching mechanism for simultaneously transferring a plurality of test pieces in a transfer direction, and an optical analyzing assembly provided with a primary illuminator and a secondary illuminator. The second illuminator serves to illuminate the bottom surface of the test piece.

Abstract: A sound absorbing structure including a film with through holes formed is laminated on a porous member having communicating voids on the side facing a sound source. At least one of the through holes has an opening area of 19 mm2 or more, and the total of the opening area accounts for 1 to 70% with respect to the area of a film formation surface on the porous member. A soundproof cover including the sound absorbing structure disposed on the inner surface of a cover main body are also provided.

Abstract: A shape memory foam material is obtained by impregnating a base foam material in a thermoplastic substance, heating and compressing the same at a temperature the same as or higher than the softening temperature of a thermoplastic substance as well as less than the softening temperature of the base foam material, cooling down while retaining the compressed state, and releasing the pressure after the cooling operation. The compressed state of the shape memory foam material is retained in a room temperature by a hardened product of a thermoplastic substance existing at least in the surface layer part thereof. The compressed state is released by softening the hardened product by heating. Moreover, a soundproof cover for an automobile engine is obtained using this shape memory foam.

Abstract: A timing pulse generator for a serial printer, which generator outputs a print timing pulse at a timing necessary for accurately controlling movement of the print head. In this timing pulse generator, an edge detection circuit outputs a pulse signal each time it detects the rising edge of an encoder signal output in response to movement of the carriage. A timer circuit measures the pulse period between two succeeding pulse signals output from the edge detection circuit. A first storage circuit outputs the stored previous pulse period and overwrites the storage area with this new pulse period. A second storage circuit outputs the stored pulse period immediately before the previous pulse period and overwrites the storage area with the previous pulse period output from the first storage circuit.

Abstract: A test piece analyzing apparatus is provided which includes a releasably fixed absorbent member, a horizontally reciprocative pinching mechanism for simultaneously transferring a plurality of test pieces in a transfer direction, and an optical analyzing assembly provided with a primary illuminator and a secondary illuminator. The second illuminator serves to illuminate the bottom surface of the test piece.

Abstract: The immigration system includes a travel document insertion port for accepting a travel document retaining individual information which specifies a bearer, a reader for reading individual information from the travel document inserted into the insertion port by a bearer, an acquiring portion for acquiring the bearer's biological information, and a collator for collating the individual information acquired by the acquiring portion with the individual information read from the bearer's travel document by the reader. Further, the system includes an examination portion for examining the passing of a bearer for approval or disapproval based on the result of collation in the collator, a passing ticket issuer for issuing a passing ticket to the bearer who is approved to pass, and a gate for approving the passing of a traveler by accepting the inserted passing ticket issued from the passing ticket issuer.

Abstract: In an exhaust control valve having a valve housing and a valve body rotatably contained in the valve housing, a transmission member is fitted to an outer end of the valve shaft and protrudes from the outside of the valve housing. A bearing bushing for rotatably bearing an external circumferential surface of the valve shaft by its internal circumferential surface and rotatably bearing an end face of the valve body by its end face is mounted in the valve housing. The valve body is urged by load from a thrust spring for achieving a pressure contact seal condition between the opposed end faces of the bearing bush and the valve body.

Abstract: An exhaust control valve has a valve housing and a valve body rotatably contained within the valve housing. The valve body cooperates with the valve housing for controlling the flow of exhaust gas. A transmission member rotationally drives a valve shaft of the valve body. The valve body is formed in a cylindrical shape and coaxially with an axis line of the valve shaft. The valve body and the valve shaft are made from a one-piece body by casting. This arrangement provides an exhaust control valve for an engine having a valve body that provides excellent sealing properties, demonstrates high response to driving torque and is easy to manufacture through casting.

Abstract: An image input-output apparatus includes a housing which is internally provided with a common transfer path. Further, the housing internally incorporates a transfer mechanism for selectively transferring a document and a recording paper along the common transfer path, a combination of an image reading light source and an image sensor for optically reading an image of the document moving along the common transfer path, and a printing unit for printing an image on the recording paper moving along the common transfer path. The width of the recording paper may be detected by a combination of a width detecting light source and the image sensor.

Abstract: A test piece analyzing apparatus is provided which includes a releasably fixed absorbent member, a horizontally reciprocative pinching mechanism for simultaneously transferring a plurality of test pieces in a transfer direction, and an optical analyzing assembly provided with a primary illuminator and a secondary illuminator. The second illuminator serves to illuminate the bottom surface of the test piece.

Abstract: A shape memory foam member is disclosed. A coefficient of water absorption of the shape memory foam member is in the range between 0.01 g/cm3 and 0.2 g/cm3 in a non-compressed state. The shape memory foam member is compressed with heating; cooled with keeping the shape memory foam member in the compressed state; and released from the compressive pressure on the shape memory foam member after cooling. The original shape of the shape memory foam member is substantially recovered by heating.

Abstract: A cold forging steel excellent in grain coarsening prevention and delayed fracture resistance and method of producing the same are provided that enable omission of a step of annealing or spheroidization annealing before cold forging and improvement of delayed fracture resistance of a high-strength component used with a heat-treated surface. The cold forging steel is a steel of a specified composition having dispersed in the matrix thereof particles of not greater than 0.2 &mgr;m diameter of one or more of TiC, Ti(CN), NbC, Nb(CN) and (Nb, Ti)(CN) in a total number of not less than 20/100 &mgr;m2. The method of producing a cold forging steel includes the steps of heating this steel to not lower than 1050° C., hot-rolling the steel into steel wire or steel bar, and slowly cooling the steel at a cooling rate of not greater than 2 C./s during cooling to a temperature not higher than 600° C. to obtain a steel having dispersed in the matrix thereof particles of not greater than 0.

Abstract: A stop control circuit is configured from a hardware circuit that operates independently from a CPU. When a comparison circuit outputs a matching signal, then the stop control circuit starts processes for stopping a DC motor, regardless of the processing condition of the CPU. Accordingly, operations for stopping the DC motor can be executed at a stable timing so that the DC motor can be stopped at fixed positions. A stop detection circuit detects whether the print head has made an unscheduled stop for some reason or the other, and outputs an interrupt request signal to the CPU, when an amount that the print head is controlled to move has exceeded 20 H even though the actual amount that the print head has moved is still less than 5 H. Accordingly, the CPU need perform predetermined processes for the unscheduled stops only upon receiving the interrupt request from the stop detection circuit. Therefore, there is no need for the CPU to constantly check whether or not the print head has made an abnormal stop.