Abstract: A valve device includes a valve main body having a valve chamber, and inflow and outflow passages communicating with the valve chamber; an annular valve seat surrounding an opening from the inflow passage to the valve chamber; and a valve element moved to contact with and separate from the valve seat. One of the valve seat and the valve element includes a contact surface, and the other of the valve seat and the valve element includes an annular raised rib. The rib has at a top thereof an annular sealing part contacting the contact surface to provide sealing between the valve element and the valve seat. The sealing part includes an annular flat surface extending parallel to the contact surface, and two annular inclined surfaces provided adjacent to the flat surface on both sides and inclined to the flat surface to extend in a direction away from the contact surface.

Abstract: A valve device includes a valve main body having a valve chamber, and inflow and outflow passages communicating with the valve chamber; an annular valve seat surrounding an opening from the inflow passage to the valve chamber; and a valve element moved to contact with and separate from the valve seat. One of the valve seat and the valve element includes a contact surface, and the other of the valve seat and the valve element includes an annular raised rib. The rib has at a top thereof an annular sealing part contacting the contact surface to provide sealing between the valve element and the valve seat. The sealing part includes an annular flat surface extending parallel to the contact surface, and two annular inclined surfaces provided adjacent to the flat surface on both sides and inclined to the flat surface to extend in a direction away from the contact surface.

Abstract: There is provided a piezoelectric element in which dielectric breakdown or breakage is less prone to occur even in long term use at a high voltage; and an acoustic generator, an acoustic generation device, and an electronic apparatus employing the same. A piezoelectric element includes: a stacked body in which a plurality of internal electrodes and piezoelectric layers are laminated, the stacked body having a rectangular shape in a plan view thereof; and a plurality of connecting electrodes connected to one ends of the plurality of internal electrodes, respectively, corner portions of the other ends of the plurality of internal electrodes being chamfered.

Abstract: A piezoelectric element includes: a stacked body in which internal electrodes and piezoelectric layers are laminated; surface electrodes disposed at least on one principal face of the stacked body; and side electrodes disposed on a side face of the stacked body, the internal electrodes extending to the side face, the side electrodes electrically connecting the internal electrodes extending to the side face and the surface electrodes. The internal electrodes each includes a first primary electrode having an active region and a led-out region extending to the side face of the stacked body, the internal electrodes each including a first secondary electrode, the first primary electrodes being disposed in inter-piezoelectric layer regions, the first secondary electrodes being disposed in the inter-piezoelectric layer regions so as to be apart from the led-out regions of the first primary electrodes, and the first secondary electrode is connected to one of the side electrodes.

Abstract: There are provided a piezoelectric element in which the peeling of a surface electrode is suppressed, and a piezoelectric vibrating device, a portable terminal, an acoustic generator, an acoustic generating device and an electronic apparatus including the same. A piezoelectric actuator includes a piezoelectric element including a plate-shaped stacked body including inner electrodes and piezoelectric layers laminated, a surface electrode disposed on one of main surfaces of the stacked body, the surface electrode being electrically connected to the inner electrodes. The surface electrode has a first area and a second area. The first area is an area mainly containing silver, and the second area is an area mainly containing silver and palladium and disposed so as to contact a piezoelectric layer.

Abstract: There is provided a piezoelectric element in which dielectric breakdown or breakage is less prone to occur even in long term use at a high voltage; and an acoustic generator, an acoustic generation device, and an electronic apparatus employing the same. A piezoelectric element includes: a stacked body in which a plurality of internal electrodes and piezoelectric layers are laminated, the stacked body having a rectangular shape in a plan view thereof; and a plurality of connecting electrodes connected to one ends of the plurality of internal electrodes, respectively, corner portions of the other ends of the plurality of internal electrodes being chamfered.

Abstract: A piezoelectric element includes: a stacked body in which internal electrodes and piezoelectric layers are laminated; surface electrodes disposed at least on one principal face of the stacked body; and side electrodes disposed on a side face of the stacked body, the internal electrodes extending to the side face, the side electrodes electrically connecting the internal electrodes extending to the side face and the surface electrodes. The internal electrodes each includes a first primary electrode having an active region and a led-out region extending to the side face of the stacked body, the internal electrodes each including a first secondary electrode, the first primary electrodes being disposed in inter-piezoelectric layer regions, the first secondary electrodes being disposed in the inter-piezoelectric layer regions so as to be apart from the led-out regions of the first primary electrodes, and the first secondary electrode is connected to one of the side electrodes.

Abstract: Provided is a contactless communication system in which each device performing communication in the system includes a dipole antenna having a length which is less than half of wavelength of a clock frequency of digital baseband signals which are communicated. The dipole antennas are disposed in opposing positions to one another. The contactless communication system performs short distance contactless communication of the digital baseband signals using a frequency band which does not include a resonant frequency of the dipole antennas.

Abstract: A signal transmission device includes a differential driver, a first single-ended driver circuit block, a second single-ended driver circuit block, a control circuit, and a common-mode filter. In the case where two-channel single-ended transmission is performed by using the first and second single-ended driver circuit blocks, the control circuit controls a driving capability of the first single-ended driver circuit block and a driving capability of the second single-ended driver circuit block in accordance with a combination of a change in a logical value of an output signal of the first single-ended driver circuit block and a change in a logical value of an output signal of the second single-ended driver circuit block.

Abstract: A signal transmission device includes a differential driver, a first single-ended driver circuit block, a second single-ended driver circuit block, a control circuit, and a common-mode filter. In the case where two-channel single-ended transmission is performed by using the first and second single-ended driver circuit blocks, the control circuit controls a driving capability of the first single-ended driver circuit block and a driving capability of the second single-ended driver circuit block in accordance with a combination of a change in a logical value of an output signal of the first single-ended driver circuit block and a change in a logical value of an output signal of the second single-ended driver circuit block.

Abstract: There are provided a piezoelectric element in which the peeling of a surface electrode is suppressed, and a piezoelectric vibrating device, a portable terminal, an acoustic generator, an acoustic generating device and an electronic apparatus including the same. A piezoelectric actuator includes a piezoelectric element including a plate-shaped stacked body including inner electrodes and piezoelectric layers laminated, a surface electrode disposed on one of main surfaces of the stacked body, the surface electrode being electrically connected to the inner electrodes. The surface electrode has a first area and a second area. The first area is an area mainly containing silver, and the second area is an area mainly containing silver and palladium and disposed so as to contact a piezoelectric layer.

Abstract: [Problem] To provide a piston-format working-fluid-pressure actuator capable of commonly using components when the piston-format working-fluid-pressure actuator is used for a reverse action or a normal action and decreasing a length dimension, in the forward/backward movement direction of the output shaft and to provide a control valve using the piston-format working-fluid-pressure actuator and a valve member. [Solution] A piston-format working-fluid-pressure actuator (10) includes a casing (30) provided with a cylinder chamber (33) by including a cover portion (31) and a body portion (32), an output shaft (40) supported by the casing so as to be movable forward or backward, a piston (50) attached to the output shaft and defining the cylinder chamber, a spring member (60) applying an elastic force of moving the output shaft to the piston, and a working-fluid supply opening (70) supplying a working fluid.

Abstract: In a communications system for differential signals, a driver circuit is connected to a receiver circuit by a pair of differential signal lines. When data is not being transmitted, the differential signal lines are maintained at a predetermined electric potential, and when data is to be transferred, a differential signal is output at predetermined electric potentials. The receiver circuit switches between a power-down state and a normal state when detecting states of the electric potentials of the differential signal lines.

Abstract: To aim to provide an interface circuit that supports both a single-ended method and a differential method as a transmission method, and one of pairs of input terminals for a differential signal is shared to input/output a single-ended signal. A differential signal receiving circuit that receives a differential signal input through the pair of shared terminals is activated when a differential signal is input to a pair of dedicated input terminals for a differential signal, which is different from the pair of shared terminals. After the differential signal receiving circuit is activated, the active state is maintained by a built-in controller.

Abstract: A high-speed interface connector is used for connecting a cable or a memory card each having a differential transmission system signal pin arrangement including a pair of differential transmission signaling pins that are adjacent to each other and two stable potential pins provided on both sides of the pair of differential transmission signaling pins, the two stable potential pins having potentials different from each other. The connector includes: a first and a second contact terminals for differential transmission respectively connected to the pair of differential transmission signaling pins; and a third and a fourth contact terminals provided on both sides of the first and the second contact terminal, the third contact terminal adjacent to the first contact terminal being connected to one of the two stable potential pins, and the fourth contact terminal adjacent to the second contact terminal having a potential identical to that of the third contact terminal.

Abstract: A signal transmission device including: a differential signal transmission unit having two output terminals for outputting a differential signal to a paired signal lines including first and second signal lines; a single-ended signal transmission unit having two output terminals for outputting independent two-channel single-ended signals to the paired signal lines; and a filter unit having first and second common mode filters. One terminal of the differential signal transmission unit and one terminal of the single-ended signal transmission unit are connected to the first signal line via one inductor of the first common mode filter of the filter unit. The other one terminal of the differential signal transmission unit and the other one terminal of the single-ended signal transmission unit are connected to the second signal line via one inductor of the second common mode filter of the filter unit.

Abstract: Provided is a contactless communication system in which each device performing communication in the system includes a dipole antenna having a length which is less than half of wavelength of a clock frequency of digital baseband signals which are communicated. The dipole antennas are disposed in opposing positions to one another. The contactless communication system performs short distance contactless communication of the digital baseband signals using a frequency band which does not include a resonant frequency of the dipole antennas.

Abstract: In a communications system for differential signals, a driver circuit is connected to a receiver circuit by a pair of differential signal lines. When data is not being transmitted, the differential signal lines are maintained at a predetermined electric potential, and when data is to be transferred, a differential signal is output at predetermined electric potentials. The receiver circuit switches between a power-down state and a normal state when detecting states of the electric potentials of the differential signal lines.

Abstract: A comparator circuit compares a test pattern generated by a test pattern generator circuit, with a test pattern transmitted to a memory card and returned from the memory card. A control circuit determines a bandwidth corresponding to frequency components correctly transmitted between a host apparatus and the memory card, based on the returned test pattern, and selects an encoding method requiring a maximum available bandwidth. The control circuit generates a notification message indicating the selected encoding method, and encodes the notification message using the selected encoding method, and transmit the encoded notification message to the memory card. The control circuit establishes communication between the host apparatus and the memory card, when receiving a response message including an acknowledgement to the notification message, from the memory card.

Abstract: A data transmission system comprises: a pair of transmission lines connecting a plurality of apparatuses; a bridge termination resistor connected between the transmission lines and having a resistance value matching a differential impedance of the transmission lines; a first switch connecting the bridge termination resistor to the transmission lines when being turned on, and disconnecting the bridge termination resistor from the transmission lines when being turned off; pull-up/down resistors connected between the transmission lines and a fixed voltage node, and having resistance values respectively matching characteristic impedances of the transmission lines, the fixed voltage node being a power supply or a ground; and second switches connecting the pull-up/down resistors between the transmission lines and the fixed voltage node when being turned on, and disconnecting the pull-up/down resistors from the transmission lines when being turned off.