Abstract: A fan includes a stationary portion; a bearing mechanism; and a rotating portion. The rotating portion includes an impeller including a plurality of blades and an annular impeller cup arranged to support the blades. The rotor portion includes a cover portion and a cylindrical portion. The impeller is fixed to an outer circumferential surface of the cylindrical portion of the rotor portion. The outer circumferential surface of the cylindrical portion and an inner circumferential surface of the impeller cup have a joining portion therebetween. At least one of the outer circumferential surface of the cylindrical portion and the inner circumferential surface of the impeller cup includes a groove portion recessed radially from the joining portion. The groove portion includes an upward facing surface. An adhesive is arranged in the groove portion. At least a portion of the adhesive is arranged above the upward facing surface of the groove portion.

Abstract: A random number generator includes a ring oscillator having an EX-OR gate and four inverters together forming a loop. This loop enters stable state for a start signal having the low level and oscillates for the start signal having the high level. When the start signal has a pulse of a width shorter than the loop's delay time, output nodes responsively, sequentially enter metastable state hovering between the high and low levels. The metastable waveform becomes smaller with time and finally disappears. As metastable state cannot be controlled in longevity, it disappears at any random number node. A counter thus outputs a signal serving as true random number data depending on the longevity of the metastable state. A random number generator miniaturized and having reduced power consumption, and of high performance can thus be implemented.

Abstract: A fan includes a motor and an impeller. The motor includes a stationary portion and a rotating portion rotatably supported by the stationary portion. The stationary portion includes a stator and a bearing portion arranged inside of the stator. The rotating portion includes a rotor magnet arranged radially outside the stator; a shaft inserted in the bearing portion, and having an upper portion fixed to the impeller directly or through one or more members; and a thrust portion arranged axially opposite the bearing portion, and including an annular surface arranged around the shaft.

Abstract: A cooling apparatus includes an impeller, a motor, a base portion, and a motor circuit board. The impeller includes a plurality of blades and a blade support portion. Of the plurality of blades, at least one pair of circumferentially adjacent blades are arranged to have a channel defined therebetween, the channel extending from axially upper edges to axially lower edges of the blades, and being arranged to be open toward the upper surface of the base portion. The base portion includes a heat source contact portion with which a heat source is to be in contact. At least one of the blades includes a blade edge opposed portion having an axially lower edge arranged opposite to the upper surface of the base portion. An outermost edge portion of the motor circuit board is arranged radially inward of a radially inner end portion of the blade edge opposed portion.

Abstract: A motor includes a stationary unit and a rotary unit. The stationary unit includes a stator, a base portion having at least one hole extending in the up-down direction, and a flexible wiring substrate. The flexible wiring substrate reaches a position higher than a lower surface of the base portion through at least one hole and is arranged to supply electric power to the stator. The flexible wiring substrate includes a connection portion arranged higher than the lower surface of the base portion and connected to the stator. The connection portion includes a solder portion arranged on a lower surface thereof to cover a portion of a lead wire extending from a coil of the stator. At least a portion of the solder portion is positioned within the hole.

Abstract: A porous oil-impregnated sleeve is used for a fluid dynamic pressure bearing. The sleeve includes an inner surface, a first axial end face, a first recessed portion, and a first dynamic pressure generating groove. The first recessed portion is positioned on the other side of a line segment, which connects one-side end portion of the inner surface with an inner end portion of the first axial end face, in a cross-section including the central axis. A bottom portion of the first recessed portion, which has the longest distance between itself and the line segment, is positioned closer to the other side than a bottom portion of the first dynamic pressure generating groove in the axial direction.

Abstract: In a bearing mechanism according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, a seal portion in which a surface of a lubricating oil is located is defined in a seal gap defined between an outer circumferential surface of a first tubular portion and an inner circumferential surface of a second tubular portion. The first tubular portion includes, in an area where the outer circumferential surface of the first tubular portion is in contact with the lubricating oil, a maximum outside diameter portion at which the outside diameter of the first tubular portion is greatest, an annular shoulder portion including a surface facing toward the surface of the lubricating oil and at which the outside diameter is smaller than at the maximum outside diameter portion, and an inclined portion at which the outside diameter gradually decreases from the annular shoulder portion toward the surface of the lubricating oil.

Abstract: A sleeve housing of a bearing mechanism according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention includes a cylindrical portion arranged to cover outer circumferences of a sleeve and a plate portion, and a bottom portion arranged to close a lower portion of the cylindrical portion. The bottom portion includes a plurality of projecting portions arranged in a circumferential direction in an upper surface of the bottom portion. Each projecting portion is arranged to project upward to be in contact with a lower surface of the sleeve. Each of the projecting portions and the plate portion are arranged radially opposite each other. At least a portion of an adhesive is arranged to exist between an outer circumferential surface of the sleeve and an inner circumferential surface of the cylindrical portion.

Abstract: A motor includes a stationary unit and a rotary unit. The stationary unit includes a stator, a base portion having at least one hole, and a flexible wiring substrate. The flexible wiring substrate reaches a position higher than a lower surface of the base portion through at least one hole and is arranged to supply electric power to the stator. The flexible wiring substrate includes a connection portion arranged higher than the lower surface of the base portion and connected to the stator. The connection portion includes a solder portion arranged on a lower surface thereof to cover a portion of a lead wire extending from a coil of the stator. At least a portion of the solder portion is positioned within the hole.

Abstract: To provide a semiconductor device which can perform initialization to a first state of two states of the first state and a second state, and which can generate a signal having a potential corresponding to the initialized first state. The present invention is the semiconductor device which can perform initialization to “0” (a first state) of two states of “0” and “1” (a second state), and which can generate a signal having a potential corresponding to initialized “0”. The semiconductor device 10 includes a plurality of flip-flop circuits 2 that are connected in parallel and which can hold the two states of “0” and “1”; and an AND circuit 3 which generates and outputs a signal having a potential corresponding to “0” when a state held in at least one flip-flop circuit 2 among the flip-flop circuits 2 is “0”. The AND circuit is connected to the flip-flop circuits 2.

Abstract: A flame retardant resin composition, containing a thermoplastic resin and a flame retardant, wherein the flame retardant contains a nitrogen-containing structure-introduced phosphorylated lignin derivative, wherein the nitrogen-containing structure-introduced phosphorylated lignin derivative is produced by introducing a nitrogen-containing structure into a lignin derivative and adding a phosphoric acid to the lignin derivative, or by adding a phosphoric acid to a lignin derivative and introducing a nitrogen-containing structure into the lignin derivative, or by introducing a nitrogen-containing structure into and adding a phosphoric acid to a lignin derivative simultaneously, and wherein the lignin derivative is obtained by subjecting a naturally occurring lignin to a treatment for allowing the naturally occurring lignin to be decomposed into small molecules or to be water-soluble.

Abstract: A lower plate includes a lower air inlet arranged radially outward of a bearing portion. In a plan view, a plane is divided into four regions by a first straight line which is parallel to an air outlet and crosses a central axis and a second straight line which is perpendicular to the air outlet and crosses the central axis, and one of the four regions in which a tongue portion is arranged is a first region, followed by a second region, a third region, and a fourth region in this order in a rotation direction of the blades. The air outlet is arranged to extend over both the first and fourth regions.

Abstract: A flame retardant resin composition including: a thermoplastic resin; and a flame retardant, wherein the flame retardant includes a phosphorylated lignin derivative, and wherein the phosphorylated lignin derivative is produced by adding phosphoric acid to a lignin derivative obtained by subjecting a naturally occurring lignin to a predetermined treatment.

Abstract: In a blower fan according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, a stationary portion of a motor portion includes a stator, a bearing portion, and a holding portion to which both the stator and the bearing portion are fixed, while a rotating portion includes a central rotating portion, and an annular cup portion fixed to the central rotating portion. The central rotating portion includes a shaft, a bearing opposing portion, and a cylindrical seal portion. The cup portion includes a cylindrical cup inner wall portion fixed to an outer circumferential surface of the cylindrical seal portion, a cup top plate portion, and a cup outer wall portion. A seal portion having a surface of a lubricating oil defined therein is defined in a seal gap between an inner circumferential surface of the cylindrical seal portion and an outer circumferential surface of the bearing portion.

Abstract: A bearing apparatus according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention includes a bearing portion having a bottom and being substantially cylindrical; a shaft inserted in the bearing portion, and arranged to rotate about a central axis relative to the bearing portion; a bearing opposing portion defined in one piece, arranged above the bearing portion, and arranged to hold an upper end portion of the shaft while covering an outer circumferential surface upper portion and an upper end surface of the shaft; and a cylindrical seal portion arranged to extend downward from the bearing opposing portion. An inner circumferential surface of the cylindrical seal portion and an outer circumferential surface of the bearing portion are arranged to together define a seal gap therebetween, the seal gap including a seal portion having a surface of a lubricating oil defined therein.

Abstract: In a blower fan according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, a side wall portion includes a tongue portion arranged to project between an air outlet and an impeller. A side surface of the tongue portion includes a tongue portion tip arranged to touch a first imaginary plane including a central axis; a first tongue portion side surface arranged to extend from the tongue portion tip along an outer envelope of the impeller; and a second tongue portion side surface arranged to extend from the tongue portion tip toward a side edge, the side edge being a line of intersection of the air outlet and the side wall portion. The second tongue portion side surface is arranged to cross a second imaginary plane including the central axis and touching the side edge.

Abstract: In a blower fan according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, a side wall portion includes a tongue portion arranged to project between an air outlet and an impeller. A side surface of the tongue portion includes a tongue portion tip arranged to touch a first imaginary plane including a central axis; a first tongue portion side surface arranged to extend from the tongue portion tip along an outer envelope of the impeller; and a second tongue portion side surface arranged to extend from the tongue portion tip toward a side edge, the side edge being a line of intersection of the air outlet and the side wall portion. The second tongue portion side surface is arranged to cross a second imaginary plane including the central axis and touching the side edge.

Abstract: A rotary unit of a motor includes a tubular hub portion. A bearing mechanism of the motor includes a bearing portion positioned radially inward of the hub portion. A stationary unit of the motor includes a stator fixing portion positioned inward of the hub portion and higher than a lower end of the hub portion. A cylinder gap is defined between the hub portion and an upper section of the bearing portion. A first communication gap is defined between a lower section of the hub portion and an upper section of the stator fixing portion. A second communication gap is defined between the lower end of the hub portion and a radial inner section of the stator core.

Abstract: A base plate of a motor includes an inner bottom plate portion and an elevated portion. A land portion is arranged on an upper surface of a portion of a circuit board which overlaps with the inner bottom plate portion in a plan view, or on a portion of the circuit board which overlaps with the elevated portion in the plan view. A conducting wire extending from a coil is electrically connected to the land portion. This structure enables the conducting wire to be connected to the land portion on the circuit board without the conducting wire being drawn outward beyond an outer circumferential end portion of the base plate. The axial position of the conducting wire connected to the land portion and the axial position of the base plate at least partially overlap with each other.

Abstract: A flame retardant resin composition including: a thermoplastic resin; and a flame retardant, wherein the flame retardant includes a phosphorylated lignin derivative, and wherein the phosphorylated lignin derivative is produced by adding phosphoric acid to a lignin derivative obtained by subjecting a naturally occurring lignin to a predetermined treatment.