Abstract: A sheet feeding unit, attached to a sheet feeding apparatus that feeds a sheet, includes an endless belt, first and second rotary members, and a holding device. The endless belt contacts a sheet stacked on a stacking device to feed the sheet. The first and second rotary members contact an inner periphery of the endless belt to support the endless belt. The second rotary member faces, via the endless belt, a separation device that separates the sheet from the endless belt. The holding device holds the first and second rotary members. The endless belt includes protruding and depressed portions on the inner periphery. The second rotary member includes protruding and depressed driving portions that mesh with the protruding and depressed portions to transmit a driving force to the endless belt to, in turn, rotate the endless belt to feed the sheet in contact with the endless belt.

Abstract: A superconducting coil of an embodiment includes a superconducting wire including an oxide superconductor layer. The oxide superconductor layer has a continuous Perovskite structure including rare earth elements, barium (Ba), and copper (Cu). The rare earth elements include a first element which is praseodymium (Pr), at least one second element selected from the group consisting of neodymium (Nd), samarium (Sm), europium (Eu), and gadolinium (Gd), at least one third element selected from the group consisting of yttrium (Y), terbium (Tb), dysprosium (Dy), and holmium (Ho), and at least one fourth element selected from the group consisting of erbium (Er), thulium (Tm), ytterbium (Yb), and lutetium (Lu).

Abstract: An oxide superconductor of an embodiment includes an oxide superconductor layer having a continuous Perovskite structure including rare earth elements, barium (Ba), and copper (Cu). The rare earth elements include a first element which is praseodymium, at least one second element selected from the group consisting of neodymium, samarium, europium, and gadolinium, at least one third element selected from the group consisting of yttrium, terbium, dysprosium, and holmium, and at least one fourth element selected from the group consisting of erbium, thulium, ytterbium, and lutetium. When the number of atoms of the first element is N(PA), the number of atoms of the second element is N(SA), and the number of atoms of the fourth element is N(CA), 1.5×(N(PA)+N(SA))?N(CA) or 2×(N(CA)?N(PA))?N(SA) is satisfied.

Abstract: An oxide superconductor of an embodiment includes an oxide superconductor layer having a continuous Perovskite structure containing rare earth elements, barium (Ba), and copper (Cu). The rare earth elements contain a first element which is praseodymium (Pr), at least one second element selected from the group consisting of neodymium (Nd), samarium (Sm), europium (Eu), and gadolinium (Gd), at least one third element selected from the group consisting of yttrium (Y), terbium (Tb), dysprosium (Dy), and holmium (Ho), and at least one fourth element selected from the group consisting of erbium (Er), thulium (Tm), ytterbium (Yb), and lutetium (Lu).

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a sheet feeding device having a separation pad holding unit, a separation pad fixing unit, and a compression unit while vibration damping unit(such as a sponge member and a Mylar member) that is attached to the compression unit does not contact the separation pad holding unit and the separation pad fixing unit.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a sheet feeding device having a separation pad holding unit, a separation pad fixing unit, and a compression unit while vibration damping unit(such as a sponge member and a Mylar member) that is attached to the compression unit does not contact the separation pad holding unit and the separation pad fixing unit.

Abstract: The mesoporous silica particles each comprise a core particle comprising first mesopores, wherein a periphery of the core particle is covered with silica. Preferably, second mesopores, smaller than the first mesopores, are provided in the silica-covered part formed by the silica covering. The mesoporous silica particles are produced by: a surfactant complex silica particle preparation step of mixing a surfactant, water, an alkali, a hydrophobic part-containing additive and a silica source to thereby prepare surfactant complex silica particles, said hydrophobic part-containing additive including a hydrophobic part for increasing a volume of micelles to be formed by the surfactant; and a silica covering step of adding the silica source to the surfactant complex silica particles to thereby cover a periphery of each core particle with silica.

Abstract: A color electrophotographic image forming apparatus for forming a color image on a recording material, the apparatus includes a main assembly; a drum cartridge including an electrophotographic photosensitive drum and detachably mountable to the main assembly of the apparatus of an electrophotographic image forming apparatus; a plurality of developing cartridges each comprising a developing roller for developing an electrostatic latent image formed on electrophotographic photosensitive drum of the drum cartridge mounted to the main assembly; a main assembly side drum cartridge guide for guiding the drum cartridge; a main assembly side drum cartridge positioning portion for positioning the drum cartridge to the main assembly of the apparatus; wherein the drum cartridge is provided with a positioning portion for positioning the developing cartridge relative to the drum cartridge with respect to an entering direction of the developing cartridge, and the developing cartridge is provided with insertion guide means

Abstract: A color electrophotographic image forming apparatus includes: a drum cartridge, detachably mountable to the apparatus main assembly, for holding a drum; developing cartridges, each including a developing roller for developing an electrostatic latent image formed on the drum, demountable from the cartridge; a main assembly guide for guiding the cartridge from the main assembly; a drum cartridge guide for guiding the developing devices independently demountably from the cartridge; and a drum cartridge preventor for preventing movement of the cartridge. When the developing cartridge is demounted while drum cartridge is mounted in the main assembly, the preventor is movable between a first position preventing the cartridge from moving in a demounting direction and a second position permitting such movement. The apparatus includes a grip for facilitating demounting of the drum cartridge by facilitating a change of the preventor's position from the first position to the second position.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a method of increasing the thermal hysteresis activity exhibited by a composition containing an antifreeze protein and water, wherein the method includes incorporating the antifreeze protein and any one or more substances selected from the following additive group A into the water. According to the present invention, the method of further increasing the thermal hysteresis activity inherently possessed by an antifreeze protein can be provided. Additive group A: an organic acid, an organic acid salt, an inorganic salt, an amino acid, an amino acid salt, an ammonium salt, a sugar, a sugar alcohol, urea, guanidine hydrochloride, spermidine, spermine, and N,N-dimethylformamide.

Abstract: A color electrophotographic image forming apparatus for forming a color image on a recording material, the apparatus includes a main assembly; a drum cartridge including an electrophotographic photosensitive drum and detachably mountable to the main assembly of the apparatus of an electrophotographic image forming apparatus; a plurality of developing cartridges each comprising a developing roller for developing an electrostatic latent image formed on electrophotographic photosensitive drum of the drum cartridge mounted to the main assembly; a main assembly side drum cartridge guide for guiding the drum cartridge; a main assembly side drum cartridge positioning portion for positioning the drum cartridge to the main assembly of the apparatus; wherein the drum cartridge is provided with a positioning portion for positioning the developing cartridge relative to the drum cartridge with respect to an entering direction of the developing cartridge, and the developing cartridge is provided with insertion guide means

Abstract: A color electrophotographic image forming apparatus includes: a drum cartridge, detachably mountable to the apparatus main assembly, for holding a drum; developing cartridges, each including a developing roller for developing an electrostatic latent image formed on the drum, demountable from the cartridge; a main assembly guide for guiding the cartridge from the main assembly; a drum cartridge guide for guiding the developing devices independently demountably from the cartridge; and a drum cartridge preventor for preventing movement of the cartridge. When the developing cartridge is demounted while drum cartridge is mounted in the main assembly, the preventor is movable between a first position preventing the cartridge from moving in a demounting direction and a second position permitting such movement. The apparatus includes a grip for facilitating demounting of the drum cartridge by facilitating a change of the preventor's position from the first position to the second position.

Abstract: A gear mechanism comprises a first gear which has a portion with no teeth and rotates, a second gear which engages the first gear and a cam mechanism which includes a cam portion provided on one gear of the first gear and the second gear and a cam contact portion provided on the other gear of the first gear and the second gear and making contact with the cam portion. When the second gear moves from a position in which the second gear engages the tooth portion of the first gear to a position in which the second gear opposes the portion with no teeth of the first gear, the cam mechanism acts to bring the axes of the first gear and the second gear away from each other.

Abstract: Detection and notification of states where degradation of the image quality occurs due to heat are certainly performed. A temperature detection portion detects the temperature around a logarithmic transformation type image pickup device and supplies a signal indicative of the detected temperature to a notification portion A permissible-temperature setting portion sets a permissible temperature which is a temperature around the logarithmic transformation type image pickup device which allows keeping the degree of degradation of the image quality within a range permitted by an image processing device, on the basis of the illuminance of an object which was detected by an object illuminance detection portion and, then, supplies information indicative of the set permissible temperature to the notification portion.

Abstract: A gear mechanism comprises a first gear which has a portion with no teeth and rotates, a second gear which engages the first gear and a cam mechanism which includes a cam portion provided on one gear of the first gear and the second gear and a cam contact portion provided on the other gear of the first gear and the second gear and making contact with the cam portion. When the second gear moves from a position in which the second gear engages the tooth portion of the first gear to a position in which the second gear opposes the portion with no teeth of the first gear, the cam mechanism acts to bring the axes of the first gear and the second gear away from each other.

Abstract: An object of the present invention is to ensure that facial images can be recognized easily and accurately. A image pickup apparatus photographs the face of a user and outputs pixel values substantially proportionate to the logarithm of the amount of incident light. A difference image calculating unit calculates a difference image from the difference in pixel values between a first image in which the face of the user is photographed by the image pickup apparatus while a lighting apparatus does not illuminate the face of the user with light, and a second image in which the face of the user is photographed by the image pickup apparatus while the lighting apparatus does illuminate the face of the user with light. A facial area extracting unit extracts the areas of the face of the user in the difference image, and determines which way the user is facing, and a facial organ extracting unit extracts the organs of the face of the user.

Abstract: The invention provides a car-mounted imaging apparatus that renders a frame rate variable and yet does not spoil image quality and does not either invite the drop of sensitivity and deterioration of an S/N ratio. The car-mounted imaging apparatus 1 has two-dimensional imaging means (pixel unit 3, vertical scanning unit 4, horizontal scanning unit 5, output unit 7) having a large number of pixels 2 arranged in a two-dimensional matrix, and pixel information addition means (pixel switch control unit 8) for combining a plurality of pixels 2 and adding and extracting their pixel information. When the number of combination of the pixels 2 is changed, a frame rate becomes variable.

Abstract: A fingerprint identification device to identify fingerprints is equipped with a fingerprint reader unit to input a fingerprint to be detected and a database unit to record a fingerprint database which is provided in advance. A fingerprint comparing unit identifies the input fingerprint via the fingerprint reader unit by comparing with the fingerprint database recorded in the database unit and a user recording unit records the input fingerprint input by the fingerprint reader unit.

Abstract: A charging apparatus has a discharging member with a plurality of protrusions and an auxiliary member for assisting discharges by the discharging member, and an insulating member formed among the plurality of protrusions of the discharging member, so that discharge is made between the discharging member and the auxiliary member upon application of a voltage between the discharging member and the auxiliary member. Where an interval among distal ends of the plurality of protrusions of the discharging member is denoted as P and an interval between the discharging member and the auxiliary member is denoted as D, P is at least equal to or greater than D.

Abstract: A color image forming apparatus and a image quality control system capable of detecting uneven angular speed of a photoreceptor drum easily and reducing color drift significantly simply by adjusting rotational phase of each image carrier is provided.