Abstract: A protective circuit protects a plurality of protected portions having different withstand voltages and operation voltages of an active portion of a CCD solid state imaging device or the like by protective elements (e.g., transistors). The respective protected portions can be protected in an optimum fashion in response to the withstand voltages and operation voltages thereof. The breakdown voltages of the respective protective transistors are made different in response to the withstand voltages and operation voltages of the protected portions.

Abstract: A differential apparatus comprises: a differential casing driven by an engine; a bevel gear type differential mechanism having pinion shafts, pinion gears, and a pair of side gears one of which is coupled to a first output shaft and the other of which is coupled to a second output shaft; a differential limiting mechanism linked with one of the side gears; and a gear transmission mechanism engaged between the differential limiting mechanism and the other of the side gears. The differential limiting mechanism (clutch or viscous coupling) can be disposed directly between the two side gears without allowing two output shafts to intervene between the two side gears, so that the differential apparatus can be mounted on a vehicle provided with another differential apparatus (e.g., having no differential limiting apparatus) without any design modification of the output shafts.

Abstract: A differential apparatus is disclosed for controlling differential between left- and right-hand axles of a vehicle. A differential mechanism of planetary gear type is received within a differential case. The differential case is provided with a ring gear of the differential mechanism. A first hub is provided with a sun gear of the differential mechanism, and is fixed to one of the axles. A second hub is so provided as to be capable of being rotatable with respect to the first hub, and is fixed to the other axle. The carrier is movable axially relative to the second hub of the differential mechanism and is integrally rotatable together with the second hub of the differential mechanism. A first friction clutch for limiting differential between the carrier and the first hub is engaged by a cam mechanism controlled by a second friction clutch.

Abstract: A charge coupled device image sensor is comprised of an imaging section including a plurality of photoelectric converting sections arrayed in a matrix configuration for generating signal charges and a plurality of horizontal shift registers arranged between the horizontal rows of the photoelectric converting sections for transferring the signal charges via a readout section in the horizontal direction, a storage section having a plurality of horizontal shift registers for transferring the signal charges in the horizontal direction and in the vertical direction line by line, a readout section coupled to the storage section and including a plurality of horizontal shift registers for reading out signal charges from the storage section, and a serial-to-parallel converting section provided between the imaging section and the storage section for storing one-line of signal charges from the imaging section into double-line of image signal.

Abstract: A charge coupled device imager has an imaging section comprising a plurality of photoelectric converting sections and a plurality of horizontal charge transfer sections arranged in a matrix configuration divided into two sections. Each of the photoelectric converting sections is surrounded with a channel stop region for isolating each other and a readout gate region. Signal charges in the imaging section are transferred by the horizontal charge transfer sections in opposite horizontal directions according to the raster scanning direction of television signal, so that the horizontal charge transfer sections in an unit cell are not elongated in the vertical direction and transfer frequency is lowered. As a result of the horizontal transfer in the imaging section, the photoelectric converting sections can be arrayed with high density in horizontal direction to achieve high horizontal resolution.

Abstract: A differential gear device for a vehicle is disclosed. The differential gear device is provided with a planetary gearing for producing differential motion having a ring gear with a toothed portion, and an electro-magnetic multiple clutch for limiting the differential motion. The electro-magnetic clutch is provided with a plurality of outer friction plates and a plurality of inner friction plates alternately positioned with the outer friction plates. An outer rotary member made of a nonmagnetic substance and integrally joined to the ring gear is provided for the electro-magnetic multiple clutch. A support member is made of a magnetic substance and conducts a magnetic force from the electro-magnet to the armature through the outer and inner friction plates to attract the armature to engage the outer and inner friction plates in cooperation with the armature. The support member is connected with the outer rotary member.

Abstract: The present invention is directed to a CCD solid state imager in which a utilization efficiency of light and a sensitivity of a sensitive unit (pixel) can be increased and a smear can be reduced by improving a shape of a micro-condenser lens formed on the sensitive unit. In the CCD solid state imager of this invention, of four corner portions of the condenser lens, shapes of the three corner portions are round-cornered similarly to corner portions of a sensitive unit opening and the remaining corner portion of the condenser lens is cut along the direction inclined relative to a central line of the condenser lens (i.e., in the direction having an inclined angle of substantially 45 degrees).

Abstract: A horizontal charge transfer register has an array of charge transfer sections for transferring signal charges in a charge transfer direction, the charge transfer sections including a final charge transfer section. A floating diffusion region is connected to the final charge transfer section through a horizontal output gate section. A pair of potential barrier regions or a potential well region extends from the final charge transfer section to the horizontal output gate section, for orienting an electric field in the charge transfer direction in the horizontal output gate section. The potential barrier regions are spaced from each other by a distance which is progressively smaller from the final charge transfer section toward the horizontal output gate section. The potential barrier regions define a charge transfer path therebetween which is substantially the same as or close to the width of the floating diffusion region.

Abstract: A charge coupled device imager has an imaging section comprising a plurality of photoelectric converting sections and a plurality of horizontal charge transfer sections. Each of the photoelectric converting section is surrounded with a channel stop region for isolating each other and a readout gate region. Signal charges in the imaging section are transferred by the horizontal charge transfer sections in the horizontal direction according to the raster scanning direction of television signal, so that the horizontal charge transfer sections in an unit cell are not elongated in the vertical direction.As a result of the horizontal transfer in the imaging section, the photoelectric converting sections can be arrayed with high density in horizontal direction to achieve high horizontal resolution.

Abstract: A differential gear device for a vehicle is disclosed. The differential gear device is provided with a planetary gearing for producing differential motion having a ring gear with an tooth portion, and a electro-magnetic multiple clutch for limiting the differential motion. The electromagnetic clutch is provided with a plurality of outer friction plates and a plurality of inner friction plates alternately positioned with the outer friction plates. An outer rotary member made of a nonmagnetic substance and integrally joined to the ring gear is provided for the electro-magnetic multiple clutch. The outer rotary member is provided with a tooth portion for engaging the outer friction plates. The tooth portion of the outer rotary member is formed to receive the outer friction plates from the tooth portion side of the ring gear and has an aperture at least larger than the thickness of one outer friction plate at the tooth portion of the ring gear.

Abstract: To realize a small-sized differential gear provided with both differential limiting and locking functions simultaneously without markedly modifying the conventional differential case, the differential gear comprises a differential mechanism having a differential case, pinion shafts, pinion gears, two side gears, etc.; two frictional multiplate clutches disposed between the two side gears and two inner side wall surfaces of the differential case, respectively for limiting differential function; a lock clutch disposed within the differential case for generating two opposite direction thrust forces to engage said limit multiplate clutches into engagement and further locking the differential function; and actuator for actuating the lock clutch from outside of the differential case.

Abstract: To realize a small-sized differential gear provided with both differential limiting and locking functions simultaneously without markedly modifying the conventional differential case, the differential gear comprises a differential mechanism having a differential case, pinion shafts, pinion gears, two side gears, etc.; two frictional multiplate clutches disposed between the two side gears and two inner side wall surfaces of the differential case, respectively for limiting differential function; a lock clutch disposed within the differential case for generating two opposite direction thrust forces to engage said limit multiplate clutches into engagement and further locking the differential function; and actuator for actuating the lock clutch from outside of the differential case.

Abstract: To simplify propeller shaft supporting structure and to reduce propeller shaft vibration when a viscous coupling and a clutch mechanism are both provided on a propeller shaft of a 4WD vehicle, the power transmission apparatus comprises a housing rotatably supported to receive power; a differential gear disposed on one side of and within the housing; a viscous coupling disposed on the other side of and within the housing; and a clutch for transmitting power from the housing to the differential gear via the viscous coupling when engaged, and transmitting no power from the housing to the differential gear when disengaged.

Abstract: To stably control clutch engagement torque of a multidisk friction plate clutch provided between two rotary members, without being directly subjected to the influence of friction plate wear or of fluctuations in friction coefficient between two clutch plates, the coupling apparatus comprises a pilot clutch, a main clutch and dual cam ring members disposed between the two clutches. When the pilot clutch is engaged by an actuator in a first direction, since a first slidable cam ring rotation is limited by the pilot clutch relative to a second fixed cam ring, the first slidable cam ring is shifted in a second opposite direction by a cam thrust force to engage the main clutch. The coupling apparatus is suitably incorporated in a differential gear assembly mounted on automotive vehicles in order to controllably and stably limit the differential motion between two shafts.

Abstract: A flywheel comprises first and second members disposed on the sides of an engine and a transmission and rotatable relative to each other; a sealed chamber disposed between the first and second members and filled with a viscous fluid; a plurality of resistance plates disposed within the sealed chamber and alternately engaged with the first and second members; a detector for detecting a drive torque transmitted from the engine through the flywheel to the transmission; and a device for engaging the first and second members with each other based on the detection of the drive torque by the detecting means. The flywheel may comprise an operating device for increasing a torque transmitted between the resistance plates based on the detection of the drive torque by the detector.

Abstract: A solid state imager has a substrate with a plurality of light receiving areas, with vertical registers to transfer charges accumulated in the light receiving areas either through the vertical registers to a horizontal register section and an output terminal, or to a drain region. The transfer is accomplished by use of externally supplied driving pulses. By use of a high-speed normal-transfer operation, charges which are trapped by potential barriers and/or potential dips, and which would normally appear as noise in the form of black spots or bright spots, can be eliminated prior to the read out if the charge signals via the vertical registers and the horizontal register, whereby the output signal is produced free of such noise.