Abstract: Provided is a method for efficiently manufacturing fine metal particles applicable as a fuel cell electrode catalyst. Provided is a method of manufacturing fine metal particles, including the step of: a hydrogen bubbling step to perform bubbling to a reaction solution, wherein: the reaction solution is prepared by allowing seeds of fine metal particles in a dispersed state and a water soluble noble metal precursor to co-exist in a water-containing solvent; and the bubbling is performed with a reaction gas containing a hydrogen gas, is provided.

Abstract: A hydroponic apparatus configured to grow a plant having a taproot and a branch root includes: a plant support body configured to support the plant; a taproot irrigation part configured to spray a liquid in a form of mist onto the taproot; a deep-flow nutrient solution in which the branch root is soaked; and a liquid fertilizer concentration management sensor configure to detect a concentration of the deep-flow nutrient solution. Referring to the detected concentration, the hydroponic apparatus controls at least one a concentration of the liquid sprayed from the taproot irrigation part and the concentration of the deep-flow nutrient solution.

Abstract: A plant growing device includes: a container configured to reserve a nutrient solution in a lower portion of the container; a holding unit configured to hold plants inside the container; spray units configured to spray the nutrient solution toward the inside of the container; and support units configured to support the holding unit, and to move the holding unit to a position depending on how the spray units are driving, in a range from a spray region where the nutrient solution sprayed by the spray units is supplied to roots of the plants to an immersion region where the nutrient solution reserved in the container is supplied to the roots of the plants.

Abstract: A video camera includes a camera body provided with an opening; a panel unit configured to be pivotable with respect to the camera body between a use position and a storage position; and a lid configured to be pivotable with respect to the opening so as to open/close a battery box. The opening is provided on a surface adjacent to a storage position against which the bottom of the panel unit is brought into abutment at the storage position. The panel unit overhangs a surface in which the opening is provided by the pivot of the panel unit from the storage position to the use position, and the lid pivots relative to the opening to a position which does not interfere with the panel unit so as to open the opening.

Abstract: Provided is a hydroponics apparatus configured to grow a plant body having a taproot and lateral roots. The hydroponics apparatus includes: a supporting portion configured to support the plant body; a taproot feeding portion configured to feed the taproot by spraying a liquid onto the taproot; a lateral root feeding portion configured to feed the lateral roots by soaking the lateral roots in the liquid; and a controller configured to adjust at least one of a cycle and a length of time of spray by the taproot feeding portion. In the hydroponics apparatus, the controller limits an amount of liquid sprayed onto the taproot to an amount needed for the taproot.

Abstract: An electronic device housing, includes: a housing case including a housing area which houses a heat generating component; a duct, including ends which are in communication with the housing area at different positions respectively and a body portion disposed outside the housing area, in which first air inside housing case which is heated by the heat generating component flows; and a flow device, disposed in the housing case, configured to circulate the first air and make second air which radiates heat in the duct flow towards a side of the housing area side.

Abstract: The invention provides an SiC semiconductor element having fewer interface defects at the interface between the SiC and the insulating film of the SiC semiconductor, as well as improved channel mobility. The semiconductor element is provided with at least an SiC semiconductor substrate and an insulating film in contact with the substrate, wherein the insulating film is formed on a specific crystal plane of the SiC semiconductor substrate, the specific crystal plane being a plane having an off-angle of 10-20° relative to the {11-20} plane toward the [000-1] direction or at an off-angle of 70-80° relative to the (000-1) plane toward the <11-20> direction. Through the use of a specific crystal plane unknown in the prior art, interface defects between the SiC semiconductor substrate and the insulating film can be reduced, and channel mobility of the semiconductor element can be improved.

Abstract: A video camera includes a camera body provided with an opening; a panel unit configured to be pivotable with respect to the camera body between a use position and a storage position; and a lid configured to be pivotable with respect to the opening so as to open/close a battery box. The opening is provided on a surface adjacent to a storage position against which the bottom of the panel unit is brought into abutment at the storage position. The panel unit overhangs a surface in which the opening is provided by the pivot of the panel unit from the storage position to the use position, and the lid pivots relative to the opening to a position which does not interfere with the panel unit so as to open the opening.

Abstract: Provided is a nanobubble generating system and a nanobubble generating method in which nanobubbles exist stably in a liquid phase by a very simple constitution and a very simple process. A nanobubble generating system has a generation chamber for accommodating a gas phase part existing in the upper side and a liquid phase part in contact with the lower side of the gas phase part under sealed condition, a supersaturated dissolved liquid generating device for generating supersaturated dissolved liquid in which a gas is dissolved in the liquid phase part under supersaturated condition, and a nanobubble generating device for feeding a pressurized gas to said supersaturated dissolved liquid via through-holes having a nano-sized opening size to generate nanobubbles having a diameter smaller than 1 ?m.

Abstract: An image pickup apparatus which has a small-sized removable handle unit easy to be handled and removed and prevents breakage of electrical contacts. The handle unit includes a handle-side connector having a handle-side connector terminal section, rear handle fixing members for mounting the handle unit to the main unit, a connector fixing plate for mounting the handle-side connector to the handle unit, and resilient members interposed between the handle-side connector and the connector fixing plate. The main unit includes a main unit-side connector having a second terminal section and a main unit-side fixing portion to which the rear handle fixing members are affixed. The handle-side connector and the main unit-side connector are connected such that the first terminal section and the second terminal section are electrically connected in a state of the rear handle fixing members being affixed to the main unit-side fixing portion.

Abstract: A control processing unit simultaneously drives cameras to produce images of a measuring object, the control processing unit searches corresponding point on a comparative image produced by one of the cameras for a representative point in a reference image produced by the other camera, and the control processing unit computes a three-dimensional coordinate corresponding to a coordinate using the coordinate of each point correlated by the search. The control processing unit also obtains a shift amount at the corresponding point specified by the search to an epipolar line specified based on a coordinate of a representative point on the reference image side or a parameter indicating a relationship between the cameras, and the control processing unit supplies the shift amount as an evaluation value indicating accuracy of three-dimensional measurement along with three-dimensional measurement result.

Abstract: The invention provides an SiC semiconductor element having fewer interface defects at the interface between the SiC and the insulating film of the SiC semiconductor, as well as improved channel mobility. The semiconductor element is provided with at least an SiC semiconductor substrate and an insulating film in contact with the substrate, wherein the insulating film is formed on a specific crystal plane of the SiC semiconductor substrate, the specific crystal plane being a plane having an off-angle of 10-20° relative to the {11-20} plane toward the [000-1] direction or at an off-angle of 70-80° relative to the (000-1) plane toward the <11-20> direction. Through the use of a specific crystal plane unknown in the prior art, interface defects between the SiC semiconductor substrate and the insulating film can be reduced, and channel mobility of the semiconductor element can be improved.

Abstract: In the present invention, whether three-dimensional measurement or checking processing with a model is properly performed by setting information and recognition processing result can easily be confirmed. After setting processing is performed to a three-dimensional visual sensor including a stereo camera, a real workpiece is imaged, the three-dimensional measurement is performed to an edge included in a produced stereo image, and restored three-dimensional information is checked with a three-dimensional model to compute a position of the workpiece and a rotation angle for an attitude indicated by the three-dimensional model.

Abstract: Images of a work piece in which measurement object is restricted to a specific point or domain are taken by a camera which takes the image of the work piece from a front-view direction and a camera which takes the image from obliquely above, and a height of each measurement object region is measured. Each pixel of the front-view image used in measurement processing is virtually disposed in a three-dimensional coordinate system including x- and y-axes constituting a coordinate system of the image and a z-axis indicating the height, and a perspective transform is performed to produce a processing result image expressing measurement result. A measurement value is set as the z-coordinate at the pixel which is a height measurement object, and the z-coordinates of other pixels are set at other pixels. A mark for identifying a position and an auxiliary line indicating the height are set at measurement object points and measurement object region in the image.

Abstract: Enabling height recognition processing by setting a height of an arbitrary plane to zero for convenience of the recognition processing. A parameter for three-dimensional measurement is calculated and registered through calibration and, thereafter, an image pickup with a stereo camera is performed on a plane desired to be recognized as having a height of zero in actual recognition processing. Three-dimensional measurement using the registered parameter is performed on characteristic patterns (marks m1, m2 and m3) included in this plane. Based on a positional relationship between a plane defined as having a height of zero through the calibration and the plane expressed by the calculation equation, a transformation parameter (a homogeneous transformation matrix) for displacing points in the former plane into the latter plane is determined, and the registered parameter is changed using the transformation parameter.

Abstract: Disclosed are an SiC semiconductor element and manufacturing method for an SiC semiconductor element in which the interface state density of the interface of the insulating film and the SiC is reduced, and channel mobility is improved. Phosphorus (30) is added to an insulating film (20) formed on an SiC semiconductor (10) substrate in a semiconductor element. The addition of phosphorous to the insulating film makes it possible to significantly reduce the defects (interface state density) in the interface (21) of the insulating film and the SiC, and to dramatically improve the channel mobility when compared with conventional SiC semiconductor elements. The addition of phosphorus to the insulating film is carried out by heat treatment. The use of heat treatment to add phosphorous to the insulating film makes it possible to maintain the reliability of the insulating film, and to avoid variation in channel mobility and threshold voltage.

Abstract: A light emission device attachable and detachable to and from an imaging apparatus, includes: a light emission portion; a storage portion for accommodating a battery which supplies electric power to cause the light emission portion to emit light; and a capacitor which accumulates electrical energy to cause the light emission portion to emit light using the power supplied from the battery, wherein the storage portion is arranged such that the longitudinal direction of the battery accommodated in the storage portion is substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the light emission portion, the capacitor is arranged such that the longitudinal direction of the capacitor is substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the light emission portion, and the storage portion and the capacitor are arranged side by side in the longitudinal direction of the light emission portion.

Abstract: While an inverter compressor 32 is driven in a control range, an actual temperature drop S is calculated based on a detected inside temperature TR at every predetermined sampling time. Further, a target temperature drop Ac for the inside temperature TR is taken out of data on a cooling characteristic Xc. If the actual temperature drop S is smaller than the target temperature drop Ac, the inverter compressor 32 is controlled to increase a speed thereof. If it is larger, the inverter compressor 32 is controlled to decrease the speed. Inside of a cold storage is cooled down along the cooling characteristic Xc through those controls. Especially after the inside temperature TR has decreased from an upper limit temperature TH and reached the target temperature To, the speed of the inverter compressor 32 is controlled such that the target temperature drop remains at substantially zero (cooling characteristic Xc2).

Abstract: A cage has a ring portion, and a plurality of column portions that protrude from the ring portion, that are arranged in the circumference direction. Each column portion has a column portion radially inward section that forms a bearing-radial-direction inward side portion, and a column portion radially outward section that is connected to the radially inward section at its radially outer end position, so as to protrude on both sides in the circumferential direction from the radially inward section. A connection position at which the radially outward section is connected to the radially inward section is adjusted to a position radially outward of a pitch circle position of the plurality of the balls that are held in the respective pockets. Thus, the thickness of the radially inward section at the connection position is larger than the thickness of the radially inward section at the pitch circle position.

Abstract: An image pickup apparatus includes a body to which a lens barrel is attached, a grip portion fixed onto the body, the grip portion including a handle to be gripped in holding the body, an extension that extends from the handle to a object side, and a projection that upwardly projects from the extension, and a tally lamp unit formed on a top surface of the projection and a rear surface of the projection which is a surface opposite to an object.