Abstract: In a method for producing a power storage device, a welding process includes welding a first long-side part through scanning of a laser beam from a second short-side part side to a first short-side part side of the first long-side part; and welding a second long-side part through scanning of the laser beam from a first short-side part side to a second short-side part side of the second long-side part. In welding the first long-side part, a first gas stream is generated, passing above the first long-side part from the first short-side part side to the second short-side part side. In welding the second long-side part, a second gas stream is generated, passing above the second long-side part from the second short-side part side to the first short-side part side.

Abstract: A power storage device manufacturing method is provided. A closing plate used in a closing process includes an outer peripheral edge portion of a rectangular annular shape, which includes a pair of closing long-side portions arranged in parallel to each other, a pair of closing short-side portions arranged in parallel to each other, and four closing corner portions of circular arcuate shape connecting the long-side portions and the short-side portions. The outer peripheral edge portion further includes an outer circumferential end face located on an outermost side of an outer circumferential surface of the closing plate extending in parallel to a thickwise direction of the closing plate. In the outer circumferential end face, a length of a corner-portion end face included in the closing corner portion is shorter in the thickwise direction than a length of a long-side end face included in a closing long-side portion.

Abstract: A laminate is formed by overlapping at least a part of a first member and at least a part of a second member. The first member and the second member are joined by irradiating the laminate with a laser. The first member contains aluminum. The second member contains copper. The second member includes a first main surface and a second main surface. The second main surface is an opposite surface of the first main surface. A contact portion is provided due to contact of the first main surface with the first member. The second main surface is irradiated with the laser. A temperature of the contact portion is equal to or higher than an eutectic point temperature of Al and Cu and lower than a melting point of Cu.

Abstract: A motor vehicle includes a front side member disposed on each of opposite lateral sides in a front portion of a vehicle, and a crash box disposed forward of the front side member. The crash box extends further outward in a vehicle width direction with respect to the front side member. The motor vehicle further includes a triangular gusset attached to the front side member and the crash box. The triangular gusset includes an oblique portion extending diagonally forward from where the triangular gusset is joined to the front side member. A reinforcing patch is further disposed close to the triangular gusset along the oblique portion of the triangular gusset. This vehicle structure enables transmission to the front side member of a load input to the gusset, which is greater than an assumed load.

Abstract: A motor vehicle includes a front side member disposed on each of opposite lateral sides in a front portion of a vehicle, and a crash box disposed forward of the front side member. The crash box extends further outward in a vehicle width direction with respect to the front side member. The motor vehicle further includes a triangular gusset attached to the front side member and the crash box. The triangular gusset includes an oblique portion extending diagonally forward from where the triangular gusset is joined to the front side member. A reinforcing patch is further disposed close to the triangular gusset along the oblique portion of the triangular gusset. This vehicle structure enables transmission to the front side member of a load input to the gusset, which is greater than an assumed load.

Abstract: A vehicle front structure includes a crash box having a shape of a rectangular tube extending in the vehicle front-rear direction. The crash box extends farther outward in the vehicle width direction than a front side member, and is provided between the front side member and a bumper reinforcement. The crash box has an upper plate and a lower plate. Each of the upper plate and the lower plate has bead rows disposed in the vehicle width direction. Each of the bead rows is formed by beads extending in the vehicle width direction and arranged at predetermined intervals in the vehicle front-rear direction. The bead rows include a first bead row composed of first beads, and a second bead row composed of second beads longer than the first beads and disposed inward of the first bead row in the vehicle width direction.

Abstract: A vehicle front structure includes a crash box having a shape of a rectangular tube extending in the vehicle front-rear direction. The crash box extends farther outward in the vehicle width direction than a front side member, and is provided between the front side member and a bumper reinforcement. The crash box has an upper plate and a lower plate. Each of the upper plate and the lower plate has bead rows disposed in the vehicle width direction. Each of the bead rows is formed by beads extending in the vehicle width direction and arranged at predetermined intervals in the vehicle front-rear direction. The bead rows include a first bead row composed of first beads, and a second bead row composed of second beads longer than the first beads and disposed inward of the first bead row in the vehicle width direction.

Abstract: A film formation device (10) that increases the mechanical resistance of the liquid repellent film formed on the oxide film. The film formation device (10) includes an oxide film formation unit (14, 15, 16), which forms an oxidized film on a substrate by releasing grains towards the substrate that is rotated in a vacuum chamber (11), and forms an oxide film on the substrate by emitting oxygen plasma towards the oxidized film. A vapor deposition unit (17) vapor-deposits a silane coupling agent, which contains a hydrolytic polycondensation group and a liquid repellent group, on the oxide film. A polycondensation unit (20) polycondenses the silane coupling agent by supplying water towards the oxide film on the rotated substrate. The polycondensation unit supplies water to the oxide film before the vapor deposition unit vapor deposits the silane coupling agent on the oxide film.

Abstract: A film formation device (10) that increases the mechanical resistance of the liquid repellent film formed on the oxide film. The film formation device (10) includes an oxide film formation unit (14, 15, 16), which forms an oxidized film on a substrate by releasing grains towards the substrate that is rotated in a vacuum chamber (11), and forms an oxide film on the substrate by emitting oxygen plasma towards the oxidized film. A vapor deposition unit (17) vapor-deposits a silane coupling agent, which contains a hydrolytic polycondensation group and a liquid repellent group, on the oxide film. A polycondensation unit (20) polycondenses the silane coupling agent by supplying water towards the oxide film on the rotated substrate. The polycondensation unit supplies water to the oxide film before the vapor deposition unit vapor deposits the silane coupling agent on the oxide film.

Abstract: A sealed battery terminal 18 of a first aspect of the invention includes an electrically-conductive terminal cap 19, a rupture disk 25 made of flexible electrically conductive material electrically connected to the electrically-conductive terminal cap 19, and an electrically-conductive terminal plate 20 abutting the rupture disk 25. In the sealed battery terminal 18, an opening 23c is formed in the terminal plate 20, the rupture disk 25 is arranged to close the opening 23c, and an abutting part of an inner periphery of the opening of the terminal plate 20 and the rupture disk 25 is welded by a high energy beam at a plurality of places. Accordingly, a sealed battery terminal having a safety valve system in which the rupture disk placed in the cap and the terminal plate are electrically connected directly by welding with the high energy beam can be provided.

Abstract: A method for manufacturing a sealed cell includes the step of welding the joint between an outer can and a sealing body by applying high-energy radiation. Grooves are formed on the outer peripheral surface of the sealing body and/or a portion of the inner peripheral surface of the outer can, the portion facing the outer peripheral surface of the sealing body, the grooves being communicated with at least one of inside and outside the cell. A groove-forming region is formed of a plurality of the grooves having widths of 70 to 600 ?m and spacings of 70 to 600 ?m therebetween. The welding step applies the beam so that the deepest part of a melting section formed when the materials of the outer can and of the sealing body are melted by the beam can be located below the upper ends of the grooves forming the groove-forming region.

Abstract: A laser welding device for manufacturing a prismatic battery 10 of the invention has a pair of jigs 12A, 12B for securing a prismatic battery outer can B1, a gas supply section for supplying inert gas to welding points of a sealing cover B2 fitted to the prismatic battery outer can B1, and a laser unit 11 for irradiating laser beam. Each of the jigs 12A, 12B is provided with a slit-shaped blower outlet and the blower outlet is positioned below the welding points. The inert gas is supplied to the blower outlet from the gas supply section and is blown from the blower outlet to the welding points from below. The laser welding device for manufacturing a prismatic battery 10 can obtain a laser welding device that welds the sealing cover B2 fitted to the prismatic battery outer can B1 fast, preventing weld droops and allowing uniform welding.

Abstract: Evaluation of tree production capacity by a non-destructive method using a tree crown structure measurement device or using an image capture device with a fisheye lens mounted, for isolated trees or for trees existing at intervals, is enabled without requiring a large amount of time. A semi-spheroid of revolution model is established as a representation of the outer shape of a tree, an optical tree structure measurement device is placed at a position apart from the main trunk by a prescribed distance, the intensity of light passing through tree leaves and the intensity of light not passing through tree leaves are measured, the optical path length of light incident on the tree is calculated using the semi-spheroid model and the total tree leaf area is determined from the measured light intensities and optical path length.

Abstract: In a laser welding method including irradiating a welding portion between metallic members with a laser beam, the laser welding portion is covered with a cover made of a laser beam transmissive resin, and the metallic members are laser-welded together by irradiating the welding portion with the laser beam through the cover. The cover made of the laser beam transmissive resin may come in contact with the metallic members around the welding portion so that a gap is formed between the cover and the laser welding portion, thereby holding the gap in a hermetically closed state. It is therefore possible to provide a laser welding method between the metallic members for preventing metal particles that have spattered out of the welding portion from dispersing into surrounding areas.

Abstract: A highly durable touch panel is provided. A touch panel according to the present invention includes a deformable flexible panel, and a transparent electrode film containing In2O3 as a primary component and containing Ti is exposed to a surface of a lower electrode film of a display device. Since such a transparent electrode film has a high abrasion resistance as compared to a conventional one (such as, an ITO thin film), the transparent electrode film is neither clouded nor cracked even if the lower electrode film is repeatedly pressed. Therefore, the touch panel according to the present invention is highly durable.

Abstract: A touch panel having high durability is provided. Either one or both of a display device and a flexible panel have island-shaped protective bodies formed on surfaces of electrode layers (upper electrode layer, lower electrode layer), and a transparent conductive film is exposed between the protective bodies. Since the protective bodies protrude highly from the surface of the transparent conductive film, when the flexible panel is pressed and the upper electrode and the lower electrode layer are brought into contact, a load to be applied to the transparent conductive film is reduced by the protective bodies, so that the transparent conductive film is not broken.

Abstract: The present invention aims to provide a method for manufacturing a prismatic sealed cell having a good reliability of sealing. This object is realized with the following configuration. The method of manufacturing a sealed cell comprises the following steps: fitting a substantially planar rectangular sealing plate to the opening of a prismatic outer casing; and irradiating a high energy beam so that the spot center of the beam is shifted (offset) from the fitted portion to the sealing plate side in order to seal the sealing plate and the outer casing. In this method, the maximum distance from the outer periphery the sealing plate to the spot center at the four corners of the sealing plate is longer than the distance from the outer periphery of the sealing plate to the spot center at a linear portion of the sealing plate.

Abstract: A touch panel having high durability is provided. Either one or both of a display device and a flexible panel have island-shaped protective bodies formed on surfaces of electrode layers (upper electrode layer, lower electrode layer), and a transparent conductive film is exposed between the protective bodies. Since the protective bodies protrude highly from the surface of the transparent conductive film, when the flexible panel is pressed and the upper electrode and the lower electrode layer are brought into contact, a load to be applied to the transparent conductive film is reduced by the protective bodies, so that the transparent conductive film is not broken.