Abstract: A contact device includes a main contact mechanism including a pair of main stationary contact members and a main movable contact member; an auxiliary contact mechanism disposed at a position different from that of the main contact mechanism and including auxiliary stationary contact members and auxiliary movable contact members; a movable shaft configured to operate the main movable contact member and the auxiliary movable contact member in conjunction with each other; rod-shaped auxiliary terminals electrically connected to the auxiliary stationary contact members; a cover plate having holes through which the auxiliary terminals penetrate; an insulating case configured to house the main contact mechanism and the auxiliary contact mechanism and including an auxiliary terminal case section configured to separate the main contact mechanism and the auxiliary contact mechanism from each other; and a cylindrical body covering the insulating case exteriorly and joined to the cover plate.

Abstract: There is provided an electromagnetic contactor which can easily and inexpensively change the DC operation type to the AC operation type. The electromagnetic contactor includes an electromagnet that opens and closes a contact by using DC excitation of a coil, a lower case that accommodates the electromagnet, external coil terminals that are disposed in the lower case beside the electromagnet, and a substrate that is accommodated in the lower case, and that has a rectifier circuit whose input side is connected to the external coil terminals and whose output side is connected to the coil so as to output a DC after converting an input AC to the DC. An inner surface of the lower case has a groove between the electromagnet and the external coil terminals. The substrate is held by being inserted into the groove.

Abstract: To provide an electromagnetic contactor that enables electrical connection work of connecting the electromagnetic contactor to another electrical component disposed in a current path to be performed easily and efficiently. An electromagnetic contactor includes a main contact portion; an auxiliary contact portion; a contact housing case that houses the main contact portion and the auxiliary contact portion; an electromagnet unit that drives a movable plunger coupled to a connecting shaft of the main contact portion; main contact electrodes project out of a case wall of the contact housing case to an outside; auxiliary contact electrodes that are connected to a pair of fixed contacts of the auxiliary contact portion and project out of the case wall to an outside; and an auxiliary contact external terminal portion that is connected to the auxiliary contact electrodes and is arranged on a portion of the case wall.

Abstract: There is provided an electromagnetic contactor that ensures appropriately preventing a foreign matter from invading an auxiliary contact mechanism housing chamber from a main contact mechanism housing chamber via a through-hole on a partition wall; and a foreign matter from invading the main contact mechanism housing chamber from the auxiliary contact mechanism housing chamber via the through-hole on the partition wall. With an electromagnetic contactor (1), a main contact mechanism housing chamber (A) and an auxiliary contact mechanism housing chamber (B) are partitioned by a partition wall (10). The partition wall (10) has a through-hole (10a) through which a coupling shaft (34) is inserted. A foreign matter invasion prevention mechanism (60) is provided at a peripheral area of the through-hole (10a).

Abstract: There is provided an electromagnetic contactor which can easily and inexpensively change the DC operation type to the AC operation type. The electromagnetic contactor includes an electromagnet that opens and closes a contact by using DC excitation of a coil, a lower case that accommodates the electromagnet, external coil terminals that are disposed in the lower case beside the electromagnet, and a substrate that is accommodated in the lower case, and that has a rectifier circuit whose input side is connected to the external coil terminals and whose output side is connected to the coil so as to output a DC after converting an input AC to the DC. An inner surface of the lower case has a groove between the electromagnet and the external coil terminals. The substrate is held by being inserted into the groove.

Abstract: To provide an electromagnetic contactor that allows the extension space for arcs to be enlarged without having to enlarge the size in a direction in which a main contact mechanism housing chamber and an auxiliary contact mechanism housing chamber are arranged. An electromagnetic contactor includes a partitioning wall for partitioning a main contact mechanism housing chamber and an auxiliary contact mechanism housing chamber. The partitioning wall has a pair of arc extension recesses that is formed by indenting the partitioning wall toward the side of the auxiliary contact mechanism housing chamber.

Abstract: A contact device and an electromagnetic contactor using the contact device. The contact device has: a main contact including a pair of fixed contact elements arranged at a predetermined distance from each other and a movable contact element elastically supported by a connecting shaft and arranged to be contactable with and separable from the pair of fixed contact elements; an auxiliary contact arranged at a position different from the main contact and including a pair of fixed contacts arranged at a predetermined distance from each other and a movable contact connected to the connecting shaft and arranged to be contactable with and separable from the pair of fixed contacts; a contact housing configured to house the main contact and the auxiliary contact; and external connection terminals electrically connected to the pair of fixed contacts of the auxiliary contact and projecting from the contact housing.

Abstract: The contact device includes a main contact mechanism that includes a pair of main fixed contacts and a main movable contact elastically supported by a movable shaft and disposed to be contactable with and separable from the pair of main fixed contacts, an auxiliary contact mechanism that includes a pair of auxiliary fixed contacts and auxiliary movable contacts disposed in an auxiliary contact holding member connected to the movable shaft so as to be contactable with and separable from the pair of auxiliary fixed contacts, and a contact housing portion that houses the main contact mechanism and the auxiliary contact mechanism. The movable shaft has a main contact support portion supporting the main movable contact and an auxiliary contact support portion supporting the auxiliary contact holding member. The main contact support portion and the auxiliary contact support portion are connected to each other via the auxiliary contact holding member.

Abstract: A capacitive ultrasonic transducer (c-MUT) comprising a silicon substrate and a transducer element which comprises transducer cells, each of which is constituted by a first electrode equipped on the top surface of the silicon substrate, a second electrode placed opposite to the first electrode with a predetermined gap therefrom and a membrane for supporting the second electrode, wherein a trench is equipped between the adjacent transducers and a conductive film is formed in the trench.

Abstract: An ultrasonic transducer according to the invention includes a flexible sheet, a rigid body portion including a lower electrode made of at least a thin-film conductive material on a surface of the flexible sheet, a dividing portion which divides the rigid body portion into segments, and a plurality of transducer elements including the divided rigid body portion, has at least one transducer cell composed of one of the segments, an insulating partition portion bonded to the segment, an air gap portion surrounded by the partition portion, an upper electrode opposed to the lower electrode extending to the partition portion to sandwich the air gap portion therebetween, and an upper insulating layer formed on the upper electrode, and includes an upper protection film which continuously covers a surface portion of the transducer elements and the dividing portion.

Abstract: It becomes possible to obtain high sound pressure in a high frequency domain by a capacitive ultrasonic transducer which comprises a membrane on which one electrode is formed, a cavity constructed in its backface, and a substrate on which these are mounted and supported and on whose surface an electrode is provided, on a surface in an ultrasonic transmission and reception side, characterized in that the membrane comprises tow or more layers, and at least one layer of them comprises a high dielectric constant film.

Abstract: An acoustic transducer has a first transducer which transmits an acoustic primary wave having two frequency components, and a second transducer which, in order to receive a reflected wave of an acoustic secondary wave generated with propagation of the acoustic primary wave, is disposed so that a region for receiving the reflected wave is superimposed on the first transducer as seen along the direction of transmission of the acoustic primary wave.

Abstract: An ultrasonic transducer fabrication method including: depositing a conductive material on an insulating layer, partially etching the conductive material to form lower electrodes; depositing an insulating material to cover the lower electrodes to form a first insulating layer and depositing a sacrificial material thereon, performing etching, to create cavities and a channel-shaped sacrificial layer to communicate the cavities; depositing an insulating material on the first insulating layer to form a second insulating layer; partially etching the second insulating layer to form holes; etching and removing the sacrificial layer through the holes to form the cavities and channels; depositing a conductive material on the second insulating layer to plug the holes and form a conductive film; partially etching the conductive film to form upper electrodes and sealing portions which plug the holes; and forming a protective film on the second insulating layer to cover the upper electrodes and the sealing portions.

Abstract: A capacitive micromachined ultrasonic transducer (cMUT) device, comprising: a cMUT formed on a semiconductor substrate; a DC high-voltage generation unit that is provided on the semiconductor substrate and that is for generating a DC high-voltage signal to be superposed on a driving signal for the cMUT; a driving signal generation unit that is provided on the semiconductor substrate and that is for generating the driving signal; and a superposition unit that is provided on the semiconductor substrate and that is for branching the DC high-voltage signal output from the DC high-voltage generation unit and for superposing one of the branched DC high-voltage signals on the other of the branched DC high-voltage signals via the driving signal generation unit.

Abstract: An ultrasound endoscope has an ultrasound probe which is disposed at a distal end side of a distal end rigid portion configuring a distal end portion out of a flexible tube portion, a bending portion and the distal end rigid portion configuring an insertion portion, and forms an ultrasound scanning surface having a normal line in a direction orthogonal to an endoscope insertion axis L1, and a treatment instrument outlet of a treatment hole in the distal end rigid portion. The ultrasound probe is configured by a plurality of ultrasound transducers arranged in a convex circular arc shape, and a center of curvature of the plurality of ultrasound transducers is disposed at a proximal end side from the treatment instrument outlet.

Abstract: A capacitive micromachined ultrasonic transducer (cMUT) device, includes: a cMUT obtained by processing a silicon substrate by using a silicon micromachining technique; and an oscillator circuit having the cMUT as a capacitor, and outputting a frequency modulation signal by modulating a frequency of an oscillation signal to be output on the basis of a change of capacitance of the cMUT.

Abstract: A ultrasonic transducer of the invention comprises: a transducer cell including a first electrode and a second electrode disposed separated from the first electrode by an air gap portion; and an electret for applying a potential difference between the first electrode and the second electrode. The electret is disposed in a region where at least a part thereof does not overlap with the transducer cell when viewed from a transmitting direction of ultrasonic waves.

Abstract: An ultrasound transducer includes a substrate, an ultrasound transducer cell placed on one surface of the substrate and having a lower electrode, a first gap portion placed on the lower electrode and an upper electrode placed on the first gap portion, a first conductive layer placed on the other surface of the substrate and electrically connected to one of the lower electrode and the upper electrode, an electret film placed on the first conductive layer, an insulating layer placed on the electret film, and a second conductive layer placed on the insulating layer and electrically connected to the one of the lower electrode and the upper electrode not electrically connected to the first conductive layer.