Abstract: A vibration gyroscope includes a vibrator base that supports a vibrator in a hollow portion of the base and includes a frame-shaped portion. Protrusion portions are provided on the inner wall of the frame-shaped portion which defines a stopper that restricts displacement of the vibrator beyond a desired distance. The frame-shaped portion and the protrusion portions are integrally formed by a two-color molding method to define a single unitary member.

Abstract: A tuning fork vibrator includes a long plate-shaped vibration unit having a first principal surface and a second principal surface, a base disposed at one end of the second principal surface of the vibration unit in the longitudinal direction, and a slit for dividing the vibration unit into two legs defining a tuning fork along the longitudinal direction symmetrically in the width direction of the vibration unit. The slit is formed so as to include a portion of the base in the vicinity to the vibration unit.

Abstract: The present invention provides a composite vibrator that can maintain high sensitivity even when miniaturized. The composite vibrator includes tuning bar vibrators having the same length and support members for supporting the tuning bar vibrators. The tuning bar vibrators are arranged in a direction orthogonal to the longitudinal direction to be coupled with each other near nodes of bending vibrations occurring at both free ends of the tuning bar vibrators. In this arrangement, since the tuning bar vibrators are coupled with each other, the mass of the composite vibrator increases. Thus, even when the length of the longitudinal direction of the tuning bar vibrator is reduced, due to the increased mass, higher sensitivity for the detection of an angular velocity can be obtained.

Abstract: A vibrator that produces bending vibration with both ends unsupported is mounted on one principal surface of a mounting board, and a driving-and-detecting circuit component is also mounted to cross over an antinode center line of bending vibration of the mounting board due to resonance. The original self-resonance frequency of bending vibration of the mounting board itself is lower than the frequency of bending vibration of the vibrator. The modified self-resonance frequency of bending vibration of the mounting board when the vibrator and the driving-and-detecting circuit component are mounted thereon is higher than the original self-resonance frequency, and does not coincide with the frequency of bending vibration of the vibrator.

Abstract: The present invention provides a piezoelectric vibrator, in which there is no significant change in the characteristics even when depole occurs due to heat shock and the like. The piezoelectric vibrator includes a first piezoelectric substrate having split electrodes formed on one main surface thereof and a second piezoelectric substrate having a common electrode formed on one main surface thereof. The remaining main surfaces of both piezoelectric substrates are bonded to each other via an intermediate electrode. The material of the first piezoelectric substrate differs from the material of the second piezoelectric substrate. As a result, the difference (longitudinal DF) between a resonant frequency and an anti-resonant frequency in a longitudinal vibration of the piezoelectric vibrator substantially coincides with the difference (transverse DF) between a resonant frequency and an anti-resonant frequency in a transverse vibration thereof.

Abstract: An angular velocity sensor includes a vibrator. A differential amplifier circuit outputs a differential signal including a Coriolis component from the vibrator. The differential signal is converted into a digital signal by an A/D converter. A Hilbert transformer shifts the differential signal by &pgr;/2. Two multipliers squares the original differential signal and the &pgr;/2-phase-shifted differential signal, respectively, and an adder computes the sum of the squares. A square root circuit computes the square root of the sum and outputs a magnitude signal proportional to Coriolis force.

Abstract: A vibrating gyroscope includes a substrate, a vibrator and supporting members fixed in proximity to the node points on both principal planes of said vibrator. The supporting members include first portions extending in a direction parallel to the substrate from the principal planes of the vibrator, and second portions extending in a direction orthogonal to the substrate, the second portions being fixed to the substrate.

Abstract: A vibration gyro which is a sensor circuit module includes a packaging substrate, a vibrator mounted on the substrate, a chip type semiconductor element mounted by flip-chip bonding, a chip element, and a cover. The portion of the end surfaces of the packaging substrate in which no through-hole terminals are formed is coated with a light-shielding coating material which is a light-transmission-stopping member. Preferably, the color of the light-shielding coating material is as dark as possible, and is black, if possible.

Abstract: Human- and mouse-derived bHLH type transcription factors were isolated. These transcription factors shared homology with the transcription factor DEC1, the expression of which is induced in human cartilage cells when differentiated with cAMP. Thus, these isolated transcription factors are thought to be novel transcription factors belonging to the DEC1 subfamily. The transcription factors of the present invention are also homologous to mouse Stra13 and rat SHARP that are related to neurocyte differentiation. The transcription factors of the present invention may be used as tools for developing pharmaceutical agents for diseases related to the differentiation and proliferation of cells.

Abstract: A method of detecting an angular velocity including generating a differential signal from a vibrator, the differential signal having a Coriolis force proportional to angular velocity if the vibrator is rotated; generating a timing signal based on the differential signal; and applying the differential signal to a voltage-time converter which, based on the timing signal, converts the differential signal to a pulse train having a duty cycle proportional to the angular velocity. The method is implemented in an angular velocity detector, such as a gyroscope.

Abstract: A vibration gyroscope includes a vibrator base that supports a vibrator in a hollow portion of the base and includes a frame-shaped portion. Protrusion portions are provided on the inner wall of the frame-shaped portion which defines a stopper that restricts displacement of the vibrator beyond a desired distance. The frame-shaped portion and the protrusion portions are integrally formed by a two-color molding method to define a single unitary member.

Abstract: A sensor device for detecting a rotational angular velocity, an inclination and a linear acceleration, includes: a vibrating body; two detection portions to output signals in response to a vibration of the vibrating body; a differential circuit to output the difference between the signals output from the two detection portions; and a first synchronous detection circuit and second synchronous detection circuit to detect the output signal of the differential circuit. In the first synchronous detection circuit and second synchronous detection circuit the output signal of the differential circuit is detected in synchronization with respective signals having a phase difference of 90°.

Abstract: The present invention provides a composite vibrator that can maintain high sensitivity even when miniaturized. The composite vibrator includes tuning bar vibrators having the same length and support members for supporting the tuning bar vibrators. The tuning bar vibrators are arranged in a direction orthogonal to the longitudinal direction to be coupled with each other near nodes of bending vibrations occurring at both free ends of the tuning bar vibrators. In this arrangement, since the tuning bar vibrators are coupled with each other, the mass of the composite vibrator increases. Thus, even when the length of the longitudinal direction of the tuning bar vibrator is reduced, due to the increased mass, higher sensitivity for the detection of an angular velocity can be obtained.

Abstract: A vibrating gyroscope includes: a support; four vibrating arms, four weights and excitation and detection elements. Each of the four vibrating arms has a first end and a second end in a longitudinal direction, and the four vibrating arms are fixed to the support at the respective first ends in the longitudinal direction such that four vibrating arms are radially arranged in a single plane with the adjacent arms making an angle of about 90 degrees. The four weights are fixed to the support so as to be arranged radially between the respective adjacent vibrating arms. The excitation and detection elements vibrate the vibrating arms under a bending mode within the single plane and output signals generated by the vibration of the vibrating arms.

Abstract: The present invention provides a piezoelectric vibrator, in which there is no significant change in the characteristics even when depole occurs due to heat shock and the like. The piezoelectric vibrator includes a first piezoelectric substrate having split electrodes formed on one main surface thereof and a second piezoelectric substrate having a common electrode formed on one main surface thereof. The remaining main surfaces of both piezoelectric substrates are bonded to each other via an intermediate electrode. The material of the first piezoelectric substrate differs from the material of the second piezoelectric substrate. As a result, the difference (longitudinal DF) between a resonant frequency and an anti-resonant frequency in a longitudinal vibration of the piezoelectric vibrator substantially coincides with the difference (transverse DF) between a resonant frequency and an anti-resonant frequency in a transverse vibration thereof.

Abstract: An angular velocity sensor includes a vibrator. A differential amplifier circuit outputs a differential signal including a Coriolis component from the vibrator. The differential signal is converted into a digital signal by an A/D converter. A Hilbert transformer shifts the differential signal by &pgr;/2. Two multipliers squares the original differential signal and the &pgr;/2-phase-shifted differential signal, respectively, and an adder computes the sum of the squares. A square root circuit computes the square root of the sum and outputs a magnitude signal proportional to Coriolis force.

Abstract: A vibrating gyroscope includes a vibrator having a node and a support member having a thin flexible portion and an expanded portion which is connected to the thin flexibly portion and has a larger area than the thin flexible portion. The expanded portion of the support member is fixed to the vibrator at the node.

Abstract: The invention is an operating system for a fuel cell power plant that includes at least one fuel cell for producing electrical energy from a reducing and oxidant fluid and fuel processing components including a reformer and a burner for processing a hydrocarbon fuel into the reducing fluid, and a direct mass and heat transfer device secured in fluid communication with both a process oxidant stream and a plant exhaust passage, so that the device directly transfers mass such as water exiting the plant in a plant exhaust stream back into the plant within the process oxidant stream. The invention also includes a split oxidant passage that directs the process oxidant stream through the fuel cell and a reformer feed portion of the process oxidant stream into fluid communication with the fuel processing components.

Abstract: A vibrating gyroscope includes a vibrator having a node and a support member having a thin flexible portion and an expanded portion which is connected to the thin flexibly portion and has a larger area than the thin flexible portion. The expanded portion of the support member is fixed to the vibrator at the node.

Abstract: A vibrating gyroscope includes two planar vibrating plates arranged to oppose each other. The two vibrating plates vibrate under buckling vibration mode and a second-order bending vibration mode which is degenerated with or close to the buckling vibration mode. The vibrating gyroscope detects Coriolis force by detecting displacements in amplitude balance of the second-order bending vibration modes generated when an angular rotation velocity around an axis parallel to surfaces of the vibrating plates is applied.