Abstract: To provide a versatile and easy-to-produce link plate that can mitigate the rise in surface pressure on guide members even when the link plate is slightly tilted, to minimize adverse effects of wear marks and wear particles, and a chain. The link plate has a sliding end face, with end face rounded portions at both ends in a direction of plate thickness, formed to be continuous with both side faces of the link plate. The link plate is shaped to satisfy 16.8?((r*2/t2)+(t?r*2))/r?11.5, where r represents a minimum radius of curvature of the end face rounded portions and “t” represents the plate thickness of the link plate.

Abstract: An outboard motor includes an engine, a propeller shaft, a propeller attached to the propeller shaft, a transmission to transmit rotation of the engine to the propeller shaft, an upper accommodation body accommodating a portion of the engine, a lower accommodation body accommodating a portion of the propeller shaft, and a steering to cause the lower accommodation body to rotate about a steering axis with respect to the upper accommodation body. The upper accommodation body includes an upper exhaust channel including an upper exhaust port that communicates with the engine. The lower accommodation body includes a lower exhaust channel including a lower exhaust port. The upper exhaust channel and the lower exhaust channel are switchable between a communication state of communicating with each other and a non-communication state of not communicating with each other based on a rudder angle of the steering.

Abstract: An outboard motor includes a first exhaust passage connected to an exhaust port and extending downward from the exhaust port through a support frame on a lateral side of a cylinder head. A first case accommodates an engine. A second case accommodates a propeller shaft. A third case is between the first case and the second case in a vertical direction. An exhaust pipe is between the first case and the second case in the vertical direction. The exhaust pipe is connected to the first exhaust passage. At least a portion of the exhaust pipe is outside the third case as seen in a side view of the outboard motor. An exterior cover is between the first case and the second case in the vertical direction. The exterior cover covers the exhaust pipe.

Abstract: An outboard motor includes a first exhaust passage connected to an exhaust port and extending downward from the exhaust port through a support frame on a lateral side of a cylinder head. A first case accommodates an engine. A second case accommodates a propeller shaft. A third case is between the first case and the second case in a vertical direction. An exhaust pipe is between the first case and the second case in the vertical direction. The exhaust pipe is connected to the first exhaust passage. At least a portion of the exhaust pipe is outside the third case as seen in a side view of the outboard motor. An exterior cover is between the first case and the second case in the vertical direction. The exterior cover covers the exhaust pipe.

Abstract: A printed circuit substrate includes a circuit unit, a first main frame ground interconnection, a first sub frame ground interconnection spaced away from the first main frame ground interconnection in a first direction, and a first conductive via connecting the first main frame ground interconnection and the first sub frame ground interconnection to each other. In plan view from the first direction, a second outer periphery of the first sub frame ground interconnection is surrounded by a first outer periphery of the first main frame ground interconnection. Thus, a printed circuit substrate that can prevent the circuit unit from malfunctioning can be provided.

Abstract: A printed circuit substrate includes a circuit unit, a first main frame ground interconnection, a first sub frame ground interconnection spaced away from the first main frame ground interconnection in a first direction, and a first conductive via connecting the first main frame ground interconnection and the first sub frame ground interconnection to each other. In plan view from the first direction, a second outer periphery of the first sub frame ground interconnection is surrounded by a first outer periphery of the first main frame ground interconnection . Thus, a printed circuit substrate that can prevent the circuit unit from malfunctioning can be provided.

Abstract: A liquid-crystal varifocal lens includes a liquid crystal lens, and an ultrasonic transducer for generating an ultrasonic wave with a frequency that matches a resonant frequency of the liquid crystal lens. The ultrasonic transducer generates flexural oscillation in the liquid crystal lens such that the flexural oscillation has a vibration intensity decreasing continuously from the center to the circumference of a liquid crystal layer, whereby the thickness of the liquid crystal layer is changed, with the result that the orientation of the liquid crystal molecules is changed.

Abstract: Provided are a liquid crystal molecule orientation control method and a liquid crystal device which render it possible to change the orientation of liquid crystal molecules without using an electric field. In controlling the orientation of liquid crystal molecules 103a, which are contained in a liquid crystal material 103 sandwiched between alignment films 104, by the liquid crystal molecule orientation control method, an ultrasonic wave is generated in a piezoelectric material 102 so as to propagate to the liquid crystal material 103, and static pressure is generated in accordance with the ultrasonic wave, with the result that the orientation is changed in accordance with the magnitude of the static pressure.

Abstract: A liquid-crystal varifocal lens includes a liquid crystal lens, and an ultrasonic transducer for generating an ultrasonic wave with a frequency that matches a resonant frequency of the liquid crystal lens. The ultrasonic transducer generates flexural oscillation in the liquid crystal lens such that the flexural oscillation has a vibration intensity decreasing continuously from the center to the circumference of a liquid crystal layer, whereby the thickness of the liquid crystal layer is changed, with the result that the orientation of the liquid crystal molecules is changed.

Abstract: A display device that suppresses electric power consumption and displays an image with excellent quality is to be realized. A host control section (30) in accordance with an aspect of the present invention is a control device for a display device (1), said control device includes: an image determining section (35) for determining whether or not grayscale levels of a plurality of pixels in an image fall within a first range which consists of intermediate grayscale levels; and a driving changing section (36) for changing, according to a result of the determining carried out by the image determining section (35), a refresh rate of the display device (1).

Abstract: A relay apparatus 100A holds an address management table TB1 in which an identifier of a terminal device 200A and an address of the terminal device 200A in a near field communication network are associated with each other, generates a terminal device-destined frame based on the identifier of the terminal device 200A in a received downlink packet, the terminal device-destined frame containing a command destined to the address of the terminal device 200A associated with the identifier of the terminal device 200A in the address management table TB1, and transmits the generated terminal device-destined frame to the near field communication network 60A.

Abstract: The purpose is to reduce power consumption of an image display apparatus. An image display apparatus includes a display panel (17); a light source (11) that irradiates the display panel (17); and a control unit (5). When a picture signal input to the image display apparatus is displayed on the display panel and controlled to have a target display brightness, the control unit modifies the amount of light emitted by the light source and performs picture signal brightness correction so as to compensate for the modification of the light source luminance. When the amount of change in light source luminance is smaller than a threshold value, the control unit (5) decreases the light source luminance without performing the picture signal brightness correction.

Abstract: A display device that suppresses electric power consumption and displays an image with excellent quality is to be realized. A host control section (30) in accordance with an aspect of the present invention is a control device for a display device (1), said control device includes: an image determining section (35) for determining whether or not grayscale levels of a plurality of pixels in an image fall within a first range which consists of intermediate grayscale levels; and a driving changing section (36) for changing, according to a result of the determining carried out by the image determining section (35), a refresh rate of the display device (1).

Abstract: In a control apparatus for performing serial data communication, a transmitting section includes a memory to store data for other control apparatuses and a transmission control section to generate a frame containing the data and memory storage information indicating a storage position of the data in buffer memories of the receiving sections of the other control apparatuses. A receiving section includes a reception control section to extract the memory storage information and the data from the frame, a buffer memory to store the extracted data, and a data-storage processing section to store the extracted data in an address of the buffer memory designated by the memory storage information. The memory storage information is set for each of the control apparatuses. A control section reads out the data from an address of the buffer memory for each of the other control apparatuses.

Abstract: An upper-level control device includes a communication control unit that transmits a command, which is used after a command that is currently executed and includes an execution order, to an electric motor control device during electric motor control devices respectively perform driving controls of electric motors, and each of the electric motor control devices includes a command storage unit configured to store a plurality of commands, a communication control unit that stores the command received from the upper-level control device in the command storage unit in the execution order, and a command-follow-up control unit that performs a follow-up control of the electric motors based on the command. When the command storage unit is fully filled with the commands, the communication control unit stores a newly received command in the command storage unit by overwriting the newly received command in an area where an executed command is stored.

Abstract: Power consumption is cut down by reducing backlight light source luminance in accordance with the variability of luminance of the picture displayed on a display panel. A picture luminance detector calculates information (luminance information) representing luminance of the picture at intervals of a time unit. A picture luminance storage is a memory capable of storing the past records of luminance information within a fixed period of time (some seconds to some ten seconds). A processor is configured of a variation detector and a light source luminance determiner. Variation detector performs detection of the variability of picture luminance based on the luminance information on the current picture detected by picture luminance detector and the past records of picture luminance information stored in picture luminance storage to output variation information.

Abstract: An image processing device (100) includes: a luminance distribution information preparation section (110) for preparing a luminance histogram in which each luminance range serves as a class, by counting the number of pixels belonging to each luminance range; a weight correction section (120) for generating, for each luminance range, a weighting value which is proportional to a corresponding class value; and an image processing section (140) for correcting a luminance value of each pixel so that a difference between a maximum luminance value and a minimum luminance value in the luminance range is determined by an increasing function with respect to both (i) a frequency of the luminance range and (ii) a weighting value of the luminance range.

Abstract: In a control apparatus for performing serial data communication, a transmitting section includes a memory to store data for other control apparatuses and a transmission control section to generate a frame containing the data and memory storage information indicating a storage position of the data in buffer memories of the receiving sections of the other control apparatuses. A receiving section includes a reception control section to extract the memory storage information and the data from the frame, a buffer memory to store the extracted data, and a data-storage processing section to store the extracted data in an address of the buffer memory designated by the memory storage information. The memory storage information is set for each of the control apparatuses. A control section reads out the data from an address of the buffer memory for each of the other control apparatuses.

Abstract: An upper-level control device includes a communication control unit that transmits a command, which is used after a command that is currently executed and includes an execution order, to an electric motor control device during electric motor control devices respectively perform driving controls of electric motors, and each of the electric motor control devices includes a command storage unit configured to store a plurality of commands, a communication control unit that stores the command received from the upper-level control device in the command storage unit in the execution order, and a command-follow-up control unit that performs a follow-up control of the electric motors based on the command. When the command storage unit is fully filled with the commands, the communication control unit stores a newly received command in the command storage unit by overwriting the newly received command in an area where an executed command is stored.

Abstract: An image processing device (100) includes: a luminance distribution information preparation section (110) for preparing a luminance histogram in which each luminance range serves as a class, by counting the number of pixels belonging to each luminance range; a weight correction section (120) for generating, for each luminance range, a weighting value which is proportional to a corresponding class value; and an image processing section (140) for correcting a luminance value of each pixel so that a difference between a maximum luminance value and a minimum luminance value in the luminance range is determined by an increasing function with respect to both (i) a frequency of the luminance range and (ii) a weighting value of the luminance range.