Abstract: A silent chain includes guide links and articular links arranged in the longitudinal direction of the chain. The guide links each include one or more guide link plates, and the articular links each include two or more articular link plates. When the chain is in the straight-line state, the inside flank of each meshing tooth of any one of the link plates projects outwardly from the outside flank of each meshing tooth of another laterally adjacent one of the link plates. The projecting length of the inside flank relative to the outside flank is allowed to vary between the adjacent links, either in a random fashion or in a regular alternate fashion, along the length of the chain.

Abstract: Each link plate of a low noise silent chain has an inside meshing surface formed on the inside flank of each link tooth. The inside meshing surface includes a convexly arcuate mesh start portion disposed on a tip side of each link tooth, and a convexly arcuate mesh guide portion disposed on a root side of each link tooth. The arcuate mesh guide portion has a radius of curvature and a circular arc length which are greater than a radius of curvature and a circular arc length, respectively, of the convexly arcuate mesh start portion. When the silent chain engages a sprocket, the engagement proceeds smoothly and continuously from the inside meshing surface to the outside meshing surface. This contributes to the reduction of the noise level of the silent chain as a whole through suppression of meshing sound of the outside meshing surface and vibratory chain noise.

Abstract: A silent chain for use with a sprocket has a plurality of interleaved rows of link plates connected together in an endless fashion, each link plate having a pair of teeth. Each of the teeth has an inside flank and an outside flank surface merging at a tip of the tooth. The inside flank has a smooth contact surface which is smaller in width than the smooth contact surface of the outside flank surface. The point where the link plate starts to move into contact with the tooth flank of the sprocket is set to locate in an area having the smooth contact surface at a relatively high rate of occupancy. With this arrangement, noise occurring at the mesh between the link plate and the sprocket can be reduced. The point where the meshing engagement completes is set to locate in an area having the smooth contact surface at a relatively high rate of occupancy. This arrangement improves the wear resistance and fatigue strength of the link plate.

Abstract: A silent chain is constituted by a number of articulately connected link plates each having an engagement surface for meshing engagement with teeth of a sprocket. The link plates are press-formed so that the engagement surface includes a smooth sheared surface. All of the link plates have respective sheared surfaces along not more than 60% of the thickness of the link plates. In order to reduce noises produced when the link plates mesh with the sprocket teeth, more than 50% of the link plates have respective sheared surfaces along 7 to 15% of the thickness of the link plates and are arranged randomly in the silent chain.

Abstract: A silent chain includes double rocker joint pins articulately connecting together adjacent links of the chain. The double rocker joint pins are each composed of a longer pin and a shorter pin. The longer pin has a cross-sectional shape different from that of the shorter pin, and the thickness of the longer pin as measured in a direction parallel to a chain pitch line is made greater than the corresponding thickness of the shorter pin. By thus designing the longer pin relative to the shorter pin, the longer pin has a large mechanical strength sufficient to withstand not only an impact force applied when the longer pin is swaged or riveted at opposite ends thereof, but also a shear force and a bending force applied at one time to opposite end portions of the longer pin during power-transmitting operation of the chain.

Abstract: A silent chain drive mechanism includes a silent chain for transmitting power between a larger sprocket and a smaller sprocket, wherein the inside flanks of one link plate of the silent chain are profiled to project outward of the outside flanks of the adjacent link plates, and tooth flank configurations of the larger and smaller sprockets are formed by involute curves arranged to satisfy the expression A1>Ac≧A2 where A1 is a pressure angle of the smaller sprocket, A2 is a pressure angle of the larger sprocket, and Ac is a pressure angle of the inside flanks of teeth of the link plates. With this arrangement, the chordal action of the silent chain is suppressed at both the larger sprocket side and the smaller sprocket side, thereby reducing vibrations and noises accompanied with the chordal action and improving the driving performance and durability.

Abstract: A chain includes a pair of rocker joint pins inserted through laterally aligned pin holes of two adjacent link plates. The pin holes have a pair of upper and lower pin-position constraining surfaces arranged to face upper and lower flat surfaces, respectively, of each rocker joint pin with a very small clearance defined therebetween so that the rocker joint pin is always kept in position against displacement in a vertical direction relative to the link plates. When the chain is urged to warp or bend into a V shape, each of the rocker joint pins is gripped by the upper pin-position constraining surface of one of the two adjacent link plates and a warp blocking surface of the other of the two adjacent link plate. Thus, such warping of the chain does not take place.

Abstract: A slurry contains MnO.sub.2 or other manganese oxide as a primary component of abrasive particles. Further, a polishing process using such a manganese oxide abrasive and a fabrication process of a semiconductor device using such a polishing process are disclosed.

Abstract: A slurry contains MnO.sub.2 or other manganese oxide as a primary component of abrasive particles. Further, a polishing process using such a manganese oxide abrasive and a fabrication process of a semiconductor device using such a polishing process are disclosed.

Abstract: In a semiconductor device, first and second substrates are supported with respective first major surfaces in opposing, parallel and spaced relationship. A conductor layer of low resistivity material is provided on a selected one of the opposing and spaced major surfaces, in intimate contact and spaced from the opposed major surface of the other substrate. An active device is formed in the first substrate with a region electrically connected to the conductor layer. A contact region is exposed at the second major surface of the first substrate and extends through the first substrate and into electrical contact with the conductor layer.

Abstract: A planetary gear system has a driving sun gear, an internal gear fixed on a case concentrically with the sun gear, and a planetary carrier assembly having plural planetary gears pivotally supported on a carrier and engaged with the sun gear and the internal gear. The internal gear comprises a lamination of plural punched plates with internal teeth being in phase with each other.

Abstract: A phase comparator (91) makes a phase comparison between a frequency-divided signal from a frequency divider (98) and a reference oscillation signal from a reference signal oscillator (90). The phase error signal obtained from the comparison is passed through an LPF (92) to yield a frequency control signal, which is applied to a VCO (94). An oscillated signal from is frequency-multiplied by a frequency multiplier (96). The multiplied output oscillation signal SO is frequency-divided by the frequency divider (98) and output to the phase comparator (91). The multiplied output oscillation signal SO is sent out to a receiver circuit (43) and a transmitter circuit (45).

Abstract: An apparatus and method for polishing a semiconductor wafer. A polisher includes a supporting plate having a conductive film and a polishing cloth formed on the conductive film of the supporting plate. The polishing cloth has a plurality of openings to expose the conductive film. A wafer holder has a conductive wafer holding surface to hold a semiconductor wafer having current detective patterns and an insulating film covering the current detective patterns. A polishing slurry supply device supplies a polishing slurry including ions to either the polishing cloth or the semiconductor wafer. A current detecting device, connected to the supporting plate and the wafer holder, detects a magnitude of a current flowing across the supporting plate and the wafer holder through the conductive wafer holding surface, the semiconductor wafer held by the wafer holder, the current detective patterns of the semiconductor wafer, the polishing slurry filled in the openings of the polishing cloth, and the conductive film.

Abstract: An antibacterial fiber includes an ion exchange fiber and an antibacterial metal ion entrapped within the ion exchange fiber through an ion exchange reaction. The invention also discloses antibacterial textiles and water-treating element using the fibers.

Abstract: The invention is a demineralization apparatus comprising an anode chamber disposed at one end of a vessel having an anode at the inside of the anode chamber. A cathode chamber is disposed at the other end of the vessel, having a cathode at the inside of the cathode chamber. At lease one diluting chamber and at least one concentrating chamber are located alternately between the anode chamber and the cathode chamber. The diluting chamber has an anion exchange membrane on the anode chamber side and a cation exchange membrane on the cathode chamber side. The diluting chamber has an inlet for water to be treated and an outlet for demineralized water. The concentrating chamber has an inlet for water and an outlet for ion-concentrated water. The diluting chamber contains a cloth comprising a mixture of strongly acidic cation exchange fibers, strongly basic anion exchange fibers and ionically inactive synthetic fibers. Preferably, the mixture contains from 20 to 70% by weight ionically inactive synthetic fibers.

Abstract: An antibacterial fiber includes an ion exchange fiber and an antibacterial metal ion entrapped within the ion exchange fiber through an ion exchange reaction. The invention also discloses antibacterial textiles and water-treating element using the fibers.

Abstract: A bipolar transistor includes a substrate, an insulating layer formed on the substrate, and a semiconductor layer having a bottom surface and side surfaces surrounded by the insulating layer. The semiconductor layer includes a collector region formed in a first surface portion of the semiconductor layer, and a collector lead region having a concentration higher than that of the collector region. The collector read region includes a silicon single crystal layer formed in a second surface portion of the semiconductor layer, and a polysilicon layer having side surfaces surrounded by the silicon single crystal layer. A base region is formed on the collector region, and an emitter region is formed in the base region.

Abstract: A method for fabricating a semiconductor device comprises the steps of forming a depression on a substrate, bonding a plate of a single crystal semiconductor material on the substrate to establish a contact such that a closed space is formed in the substrate in correspondence to the depression, reducing the thickness of the plate, forming a penetrating opening through the plate in communication to the space to form a bridging part in the plate as a region left from the formation of the penetrating opening, forming an insulation film to cover at least a lower major surface and both side walls of the bridging part, filling the space by depositing polysilicon through the penetrating opening, providing a conductivity to the polysilicon that fills the space, removing the polysilicon that has been deposited on the upper surface of the bridging part to expose a crystal surface of the semiconductor material forming the plate, and forming an active device on the bridging part.

Abstract: A clock signal having a predetermined frequency output from a clock generator and a signal output from a voltage controlled oscillator (VCO) and supplied through a frequency divider are supplied to a phase detector. An output from the phase detector is supplied to a loop filter. The loop filter supplies a voltage in accordance with an output from the phase detector to a first control voltage terminal of the VCO and to a phase lock-in circuit. The phase lock-in circuit supplies a voltage in accordance with an output voltage from the loop filter to a second control voltage terminal of the VCO. In the VCO, the sensitivity of the first control voltage terminal is lower than that of the second control voltage terminal, i.e., a rate of change in ouput frequency with respect to a change in second control voltage is higher than that of the first control voltage. A phase lock detector for detecting whether or not the PLL apparatus is set in a phase-locked state is also connected to the phase lock-in circuit.