Abstract: Provided is a power supply unit that notifies the third person that the electric apparatus is in the state prohibiting introduction into vehicle and also make the electric apparatus in the state safely introducible into vehicle at the same time.

Abstract: A non-aqueous electrolyte secondary battery including a positive electrode, a negative electrode, a separator interposed between the positive electrode and the negative electrode, and an electrolyte, wherein the positive electrode comprises a positive electrode active material comprising a particle of a composite oxide represented by a general formula: LixMe1-y-zMyLzO2. In the general formula, the element Me is at least one transition metal element except Ti, Mn, Y and Zr, the element M is at least one selected from the group consisting of Mg, Ti, Mn and Zn, and the element L is at least one selected from the group consisting of Al, Ca, Ba, Sr, Y and Zr, and 1?x?1.05, 0.005?y?0.1 (with a proviso that 0.005?y?0.5 is satisfied in the case of the element M being Mn) and 0?z?0.05 are satisfied.

Abstract: A positive electrode active material for a non-aqueous electrolyte secondary battery includes a particle of a composite oxide which contains Li and Co, wherein: the composite oxide further contains an element M1 and an element M2; the element M1 is at least one selected from the group consisting of Mg, Cu and Zn; the element M2 is at least one selected from the group consisting of Al, Ca, Ba, Sr, Y and Zr; the element M1 is uniformly distributed in the particle; and the element M2 is distributed in the surface portion of the particle more than in the inside thereof.

Abstract: A nonaqueous electrolyte secondary battery, comprising a positive electrode having a positive-electrode active material layer reversibly inserting and extracting lithium ions on a positive-electrode current collector, a negative electrode having a negative-electrode active material layer reversibly inserting and extracting lithium ions on a negative-electrode current collector, and a nonaqueous electrolyte solution, wherein at least one of the positive and negative electrodes has a film on the surface and at least one of the positive electrode, the negative electrode and the nonaqueous electrolyte solution contains a nitrogen-containing cyclic compound. Such a nonaqueous electrolyte secondary battery is superior in high-temperature storage stability allowing preservation of favorable discharge rate even after high-temperature storage.

Abstract: An optical-scanning apparatus is disclosed. In at least one embodiment, the optical-scanning apparatus includes a light deflector to deflect a beam from a light source; and an optical housing including a scanning-image optical system to focus the beam to scan a photo conductive photo receptor therewith as a light spot. The optical housing includes a collection member to collect particulate materials. The collection member includes a structure combining or overlapping plural sheet-shaped members, each including a highly-chargeable electrostatic absorption filter. Alternatively, the collection member includes an electrostatic absorption filter and a breathable sheet-shaped member covering almost all the surface of the electrostatic absorption filter.

Abstract: The present invention provides a high-capacity and low-cost non-aqueous electrolyte secondary battery, comprising: a negative electrode containing, as a negative electrode active material, a substance capable of absorbing/desorbing lithium ions and/or metal lithium; a separator; a positive electrode; and an electrolyte, wherein the positive electrode active material contained in the positive electrode is composed of crystalline particles of an oxide containing two kinds of transition metal elements, the crystalline particles having a layered crystal structure, and oxygen atoms constituting the oxide forming a cubic closest packing structure.

Abstract: A composite particle for an electrode including an active material particle, carbon nanofibers bonded to the surface of the active material particle, and a catalyst element for promoting the growth of the carbon nanofibers, wherein the active material particle includes an electrochemically active phase. As the catalyst element, for example, Au, Ag, Pt, Ru, Ir, Cu, Fe, Co, Ni, Mo, Mn and the like are used. The composite particle for an electrode may be produced, for example, by means of a method which includes: a step of preparing an active material particle including a catalyst element for promoting the growth of carbon nanofibers at least in the surface layer of the active material particle; and a step of growing carbon nanofibers on the surface of the active material particle in an atmosphere including a raw material gas.

Abstract: A non-aqueous electrolyte for a secondary battery, including a non-aqueous solvent in which a solute is dissolved, a first additive and a second additive, wherein the first additive is a vinyl monomer having an electron donating group, the second additive is a carbonic acid ester having at least one carbon-carbon unsaturated bond, and an e value, which is a polarization factor of the vinyl monomer having an electron donating group, is a negative value.

Abstract: A positive electrode active material for a non-aqueous electrolyte secondary battery, comprising a lithium-containing composite oxide, wherein the composite oxide is represented by the general formula: LizCo1-x-yMgxMyO2, the element M included in the general formula is at least one selected from the group consisting of Al, Ti, Sr, Mn, Ni and Ca, the values x, y and z included in the general formula satisfy: (i) 0?z?1.03; (ii) 0.005?x?0.1; and (iii) 0.001?y?0.03, the composite oxide has a crystal structure attributed to a hexagonal system in an overcharged state having a potential over 4.25 V relative to metallic Li, and a maximum value of an oxygen generation peak in a gas chromatograph mass spectrometry measurement of the composite oxide in the overcharged state is in the range of 330 to 370° C.

Abstract: To present a nonaqueous electrolyte secondary battery using iron compound which is inexpensive and abundant in resource, as the active material for the positive electrode. An iron compound with particle size of 1 to 300 nm or less, being composed of substantially spherical primary particles of pore-free matter, is used as the active material for a positive electrode, which is used together with a negative electrode and a nonaqueous electrolyte for composing the battery. By forming the primary particles for composing particles of the iron compound as a pore-free matter, being controlled in a range of 1 to 300 nm, nano effects are brought about, and it is also effective to suppress excessive increase of surface area which may lead to promotion of decomposition of electrolyte, and an excellent discharge capacity is realized stably for a long period.

Abstract: In accordance with the present invention, a transparent or semitransparent window is formed in a developing device or a process cartridge to allow one to see the inside of the developing device via the window from the outside. The window may preferably be formed in the top wall of the developing unit or that of the process cartridge.

Abstract: The present invention provides a high-capacity and low-cost non-aqueous electrolyte secondary battery, comprising: a negative electrode containing, as a negative electrode active material, a substance capable of absorbing/desorbing lithium ions and/or metal lithium; a separator; a positive electrode; and an electrolyte, wherein the positive electrode active material contained in the positive electrode is composed of crystalline particles of an oxide containing two kinds of transition metal elements, the crystalline particles having a layered crystal structure, and oxygen atoms constituting the oxide forming a cubic closest packing structure.

Abstract: A battery pack comprising a lithium ion secondary battery and a current interrupting device for protecting the secondary battery, the secondary battery comprising positive and negative electrodes, a separator interposed between the positive and negative electrodes and a non-aqueous electrolyte, the current interrupting device comprising a recoverable device and a non-recoverable device, the recoverable and non-recoverable devices being connected in series with each other, and the non-recoverable device having an operating temperature of not less than 90° C. and less than 150° C.

Abstract: Disclosed is a composite electrode active material for non-aqueous electrolyte secondary batteries or non-aqueous electrolyte electrochemical capacitors which contains a material A containing an element capable of forming an alloy with lithium, a material B containing carbon excluding carbon nanofiber, a catalyst element for promoting the growth of carbon nanofiber, and carbon nanofibers grown on at least one selected from the surface of the material A and the surface of the material B.

Abstract: In a non-aqueous electrolyte secondary battery comprising: a negative electrode containing, as a negative electrode active material, at least a material capable of absorbing and desorbing lithium ions or metal lithium; a positive electrode; and an electrolyte, an oxide containing nickel and manganese elements, the material comprising primary particles of the oxide having a twining portion and a superlattice arrangement of a [3×3] R30° when assigned as R3-m is used as a positive electrode active material.

Abstract: A negative electrode for a non-aqueous electrolyte secondary battery, including: an active material layer capable of electrochemically absorbing and desorbing at least Li; and a current collector sheet that supports the active material layer thereon and that does not react with Li, wherein the active material layer includes a plurality of deposited films or sintered films supported on a surface of the current collector sheet, and each of the deposited films or sintered films is provided with at least one groove formed in a side surface thereof, the groove extending from a top surface side towards the current collector sheet side thereof. It is preferable that the plurality of deposited films or sintered films are arranged in a grid configuration, a staggered grid configuration or a honeycomb configuration on a surface of the current collector sheet.

Abstract: An apparatus includes a plurality of installation parts, to each of which a device unit is detachably installed to be used, and a restriction device configured to restrict the device unit having been installed in an unused state to and uninstalled from any one of the plurality of installation parts from being installed to any other installation part of the plurality of installation parts.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image bearing member having a photosensitive surface and an optical writing apparatus generating a laser beam modulated according to image data. The optical writing apparatus includes a housing, an optical deflector, an f-theta lens and a separator. The optical deflector is configured to rotate to deflect the laser beam. The f-theta lens is configured to correct the laser beam deflected by the optical deflector and to transmit a corrected laser beam towards the image bearing member. The separator is configured to separate an inside space of the housing into at least two sections including a first section in which the optical deflector is mounted and a second section in which the f-theta lens is mounted. The separator includes a heat resistant transparent plate disposed at a position of crossing passage of the laser beam between the optical deflector and the f-theta lens.

Abstract: An enclosure includes a first enclosure and a second enclosure. A deflector deflects a light emitted from a light source. A first optical system leads the light emitted from the light source to the deflector. A second optical system includes at least one optical element, and leads the light deflected by the deflector onto a surface to be scanned. The first enclosure holds the light source, the deflector, and the first optical system, and the second enclosure holds the at least one optical element included in the second optical system.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus having a recognizing member configured to read a property stored in a memory member of a consumable item via a communication member, and to recognize if the consumable item can be used. The image forming apparatus also includes a property changing member configured to communicate to the memory member and to change a parameter so that information stored in the memory member cannot be accessed when the recognizing member recognizes the consumable item can be no longer used.