Abstract: The present invention is intended to increase the critical current density of a wire rod having a shape with good symmetry such as a round wire or a square wire by making use of mechanical milling method. The production method of the present invention for the MgB2 superconducting wire rod comprises a mixing process of preparing a powder by adding a solid organic compound to a magnesium powder and a boron powder and then applying an impact to the powder to prepare a mixture of the powder in which boron particles are dispersed inside magnesium particles, a filling process of filling a metal tube with the mixture, an elongation process of elongating the metal tube filled with the mixture and a heat treatment process of heat-treating the metal tube to synthesize MgB2.

Abstract: A superconducting wire comprises a MgB2 filament, a base material, a high-thermal expansion metal, and a stabilizing material. The high-thermal expansion metal is a metal (for example, stainless steel) having a higher thermal expansion coefficient at room temperature than the MgB2 and the base material (for example, iron or niobium). The manufacturing method includes a step of packing a mixed powder in a first metal pipe, a step of performing wire-drawing on the first metal pipe formed of the metal to be the base material, a step of producing a composite wire by accommodating the first metal pipe in a second metal pipe formed of the high-thermal expansion metal and the stabilizing material, a step of performing wire-drawing on the composite wire, and a step of performing heat treatment.

Abstract: A polyphase power-supply device includes first to N-th DC-DC converters connected in parallel to each other between an input terminal and an output terminal and a switching controller configured to perform interleave control on the first to N-th DC-DC converters by supplying first to N-th pulse width modulation (PWM) signals to the first to N-th DC-DC converters, respectively, where N is any integer equal to or greater than two. A switching frequency of the first PWM signal is changed at a change time point at which a cycle of the first PWM signal starts. A length of a cycle of the k-th PWM signal firstly appearing after the change time point is shorter than lengths of subsequent cycles of the k-th PWM signal appearing the first cycle of the k-th PWM signal. This polyphase power-supply device has high reliability.

Abstract: There is provided a field-effect transistor including: a gate electrode; a semiconductor layer having a source region and a drain region with the gate electrode in between; contact plugs provided on the source region and the drain region; first metals stacked on the contact plugs; and a low-dielectric constant region provided in a region between the first metals along an in-plane direction of the semiconductor layer and provided at least in a first region below bottom surfaces of the first metals along a stacking direction.

Abstract: An optical power prism that may be used in folded lens systems that consists of a glass prism and a glass lens attached to a surface of the prism using a thin layer of optical glue or by optical contact. The glass lens does not have a flange and thus the prism can be smaller than prisms used in conventional power prisms with the same lens effective area, thus reducing the Z-height of the power prism when compared to conventional power prisms. An optical glass may be used for the lens that has a higher refractive index than can be provided by optical plastic which allows the lens to be thinner than plastic lenses. The lenses may be formed by molding a glass wafer to form lens shapes on a first surface of the wafer; the molded wafer is then ground from a second surface to singulate the lenses.

Abstract: A spool valve device includes: a housing with channels; a spool moving to change channel connection statuses; an electric actuator including an electric motor and linear-motion conversion mechanism, the motor rotating an output shaft by torque corresponding to a drive current supplied to the motor, the mechanism converting rotational output shaft movement into straight movement and applying thrust corresponding to the torque to the spool to change position; a biasing member applying biasing force to the spool against the actuator thrust; an angle detector detecting an motor output shaft angular position; a driving portion driving the motor by controlling drive current flow supplied to the motor based on a position command input and the angular position detected by the angle detector; and an abnormality determining portion calculating the spool position based on the detected angular position and determine presence or absence of operation spool abnormality.

Abstract: A wave power generation system includes: a hydraulic pump device configured to operate by force of a wave to discharge an operating liquid to a main passage; a hydraulic motor device configured to be rotated by the operating liquid flowing through the main passage; a power generator configured to be driven by the hydraulic motor to generate electric power; and a heat exchanger device configured to perform heat exchange of the operating liquid. The heat exchanger device includes a heat exchange motor device connected to the main passage through a sub passage and configured to be operated by the operating liquid introduced through the sub passage, a refrigerant pump device driven by the heat exchange motor device and configured to suck and discharge a refrigerant liquid, and a heat exchanger to which the refrigerant liquid discharged from the heat exchange pump device and the operating liquid are introduced.

Abstract: A sheet manufacturing method includes forming a web by accumulating a mixture containing a fiber and a water-soluble polysaccharide in a dry manner, a moisture imparting step of imparting the web with moisture, and a pressurizing and heating step of pressurizing and heating the web to which the moisture is imparted, in which the pressurizing and heating step performs pressurizing and heating at the same time, a pressure higher than a pressure applied to the web in the pressurizing and heating step is not applied to the web before the pressurizing and heating step, and heating to a temperature higher than a temperature for heating the web in the pressurizing and heating step is not performed before the pressurizing and heating step.

Abstract: A sheet manufacturing method includes a web forming step of forming a web by accumulating a defibrated product in a dry manner, a moisture imparting step of imparting the web with moisture, a pressurizing step of pressurizing the web to which the moisture is imparted, and a heating step of heating the web to which the moisture is imparted, in which a water content of the web to which the moisture is imparted in the moisture imparting step is 12% by mass or more, a pressure applied to the web in the pressurizing step is 0.2 MPa or more, and a temperature of the web in the heating step is 100° C. or lower.

Abstract: A poppet-type flow control valve includes: a valve housing including an inlet passage, an outlet passage, a valve chamber provided between the inlet passage and the outlet passage, and a valve seat provided in the valve chamber; a valve body accommodated in the valve housing and configured to advance and retract relative to the valve seat; a piston configured to move integrally with the valve body in an advancing and retracting direction, in which the valve body advances and retracts; a movable member movable in the advancing and retracting direction, in which the valve body advances and retracts, the movable member being configured to move integrally with the valve body at least when the movable member moves in a retracting direction of the advancing and retracting direction; an electric motor; a position detector configured to detect a rotational angle of an output shaft of the electric motor; a linear motion conversion mechanism configured to convert a rotation amount of the output shaft of the electric mo

Abstract: A spool valve capable of suppressing deterioration of position controllability of a spool due to misalignment includes: a housing including a spool hole; a spool inserted into the spool hole of the housing so as to be movable in an axial direction; and an electric actuator configured to move the spool in the axial direction. The electric actuator includes: an electric motor configured to rotate an output shaft; a linear-motion converting mechanism including a linear-motion member configured to be linearly movable, the linear-motion converting mechanism being configured to convert a rotational motion of the output shaft into a linear motion of the linear-motion member; and a coupling member coupling the linear-motion member and the spool moves in accordance with the linear motion of the linear-motion member. The coupling member allows one of tilt and eccentricity of an axis of the spool relative to an axis of the linear-motion member.

Abstract: There is provided a field-effect transistor including: a gate electrode; a semiconductor layer having a source region and a drain region with the gate electrode in between; contact plugs provided on the source region and the drain region; first metals stacked on the contact plugs; and a low-dielectric constant region provided in a region between the first metals along an in-plane direction of the semiconductor layer and provided at least in a first region below bottom surfaces of the first metals along a stacking direction.

Abstract: The following two problems arise when carbon is added to a starting material powder in the process of production of an MgB2 superconductor: (1) an impurity phase increases; and (2) the degree of substitution of carbon at boron sites is spatially non-uniform. This superconductor production method comprises: a mixing step of mixing a starting material powder and an additive; and a heat treatment step of heat-treating the mixture prepared in the mixing step. The starting material powder is MgB2 powder or a mixed powder of magnesium and boron, and the additive is an Mg—B—C compound containing three elements of magnesium, boron and carbon.

Abstract: An in-vehicle power supply system includes a high-voltage direct-current (DC) power supply, a low-voltage storage battery, a DC-DC converter, and a controller. The DC-DC converter includes a conversion circuit including a high-voltage terminal and a low-voltage terminal, an input switch connected between the high-voltage DC power supply and the high-voltage terminal, and an output switch connected between the low-voltage terminal and the low-voltage storage battery. The controller is configured to, after detecting that a current flowing through the conversion circuit exceeds a predetermined current threshold or that a charge voltage of the low-voltage storage battery exceeds a predetermined voltage threshold, execute a failure determination of the DC-DC converter after instructing the conversion circuit to stop a voltage conversion operation, causing the input switch to switch to the disconnected state, and instructing the output switch to switch to the disconnected state.

Abstract: A clip applier system includes: a clip applier that operates a pair of jaws by supplying an operating fluid from a driving device to an opening/closing mechanism, which opens and closes the pair of jaws with a degree of opening corresponding to the amount of the operating fluid, and discharging the operating fluid from the opening/closing mechanism to the driving device; an operation device that outputs an operation signal corresponding to the amount of operation performed on an operation tool; a detection device that outputs a signal corresponding to the degree of opening of the pair of the jaws; and a control device that performs an opening degree control. In the opening degree control, the control device controls the motion of the driving device according to a difference between a command based on the operation signal and an actual value based on the signal from the detection device.

Abstract: A hydraulic medical instrument mounted to a distal end of a robotic arm includes: a linking structure that is linked to the distal end of the robotic arm; an insertion pipe extending from the linking structure; and a hydraulic mover provided on a distal end of the insertion pipe. The hydraulic medical instrument further includes a hydraulic driving source that includes at least one hydraulic pressure-dedicated shaft provided in the linking structure, the hydraulic driving source supplying a hydraulic liquid to the hydraulic mover and collecting the hydraulic liquid from the hydraulic mover by rotation or linear motion of the hydraulic pressure-dedicated shaft. When the linking structure is linked to the distal end of the robotic arm, the hydraulic pressure-dedicated shaft is coupled to a motor disposed in the distal end of the robotic arm.

Abstract: A surgical operation system includes an operation unit, a hand control unit, and a controller. In a normal operation mode, a normal operation command generator calculates a target posture of a surgical instrument based on a displacement of a handle, the displacement being detected by a detector, and generates a normal operation command to operate a wrist joint such that the surgical instrument takes the target posture. In a bendable joint operation mode, a bendable joint operation command generator generates a bendable joint operation command to change a bending angle of a bendable joint based on the displacement of the handle, the displacement being detected by the detector.

Abstract: A display device includes a display, a camera that captures images of an outside scene, a pointer recognizing section, a target recognizing section, and a display control section configured to display, on the display, a target related image, which is an image related to a target recognized by the target recognizing section. The display control section includes a related display configured to display, on the display, related information related to the target related image when a movement of a pointer within a range overlapping the target related image is recognized by the pointer recognizing section and a display processing section configured to change a display state of the target related image according to whether the target related image is present within an imaging range of the camera.

Abstract: To easily acquire an image of a tip end portion of a surgical instrument attached to a manipulator arm even when the surgical instrument is bent, a surgical system includes manipulator arms, a manipulation unit, and a controller. The manipulator arms include: a first manipulator arm including an instrument holder holding a first surgical instrument including an instrument bendable portion; and a second manipulator arm including an instrument holder holding an endoscope assembly including an endoscope bendable portion and a camera at a tip end portion of the endoscope assembly. A method of controlling the surgical system controls the endoscope assembly such that the endoscope assembly is bent so as to follow bending of the first surgical instrument that is bent based on an operating command.

Abstract: An optical power prism that may be used in folded lens systems that consists of a glass prism and a glass lens attached to a surface of the prism using a thin layer of optical glue or by optical contact. The glass lens does not have a flange and thus the prism can be smaller than prisms used in conventional power prisms with the same lens effective area, thus reducing the Z-height of the power prism when compared to conventional power prisms. An optical glass may be used for the lens that has a higher refractive index than can be provided by optical plastic which allows the lens to be thinner than plastic lenses. The lenses may be formed by molding a glass wafer to form lens shapes on a first surface of the wafer; the molded wafer is then ground from a second surface to singulate the lenses.