Abstract: A cleaning device including an elastic blade whose tip is contacted with a surface of a rotating member in such a manner as to counter the rotated member to remove particles of a toner on the rotated member; and a holder configured to support the elastic blade, wherein a nip formed by longitudinal end portions of the tip of the blade and the surface of the rotated member has a first nip width in a rotation direction of the rotated member, and a nip formed by a central portion of the blade and the surface of the rotated member has a second nip width, and wherein the first nip width is less than the second nip width.

Abstract: A voltage hold circuit which holds an input signal voltage includes a voltage comparator unit configured to output a result of comparison between a voltage of an externally inputted control signal and a voltage of an outputted analog hold signal, a digital value hold unit configured to increase or decrease a hold value which is a digital value it holds, based on the comparison result, and to output a digital hold signal which is a digital value generated based on the hold value, and a D/A converter unit configured to convert the digital hold signal to an analog value for output as the analog hold signal.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus of the present invention includes a movable body to be charged and a charger including a charging member that contacts or adjoins the body to be charged and applies a voltage, including an AC component, to the charging member for thereby charging the body. A protection substance for protecting the surface of the body from deterioration ascribable to charging is caused to exist on the body. The number of particular elements, contained in the protection substance and detected by an X-ray photon spectral analyzer (XPS) in a zone where the charging member charges the body, is held in a particular ratio to the total number of all elements constituting the outermost surface of the body and also detected by the XPS.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus of the present invention includes a movable body to be charged and a charger including a charging member that contacts or adjoins the body to be charged and applies a voltage, including an AC component, to the charging member for thereby charging the body. A protection substance for protecting the surface of the body from deterioration ascribable to charging is caused to exist on the body. The number of particular elements, contained in the protection substance and detected by an X-ray photon spectral analyzer (XPS) in a zone where the charging member charges the body, is held in a particular ratio to the total number of all elements constituting the outermost surface of the body and also detected by the XPS.

Abstract: To set access limitation, which limits access to a remote volume, to each host computer separately without registering in advance information on which volume is accessible to which host computer. In the storage system, the storage system is coupled to other storage systems in multiple stages, the uppermost stage storage system is coupled to the host computer, the volume constitutes a remote copy pair with a volume in the lower stage storage system and/or a remote copy pair with a volume in the upper stage storage system, and upon receiving a command to operate the volume, a control unit refers to pair information stored in a memory to judge whether information of the lower stage volume paired with the volume in the storage system that has this control unit is added to the received command.

Abstract: A cleaning device cleans off a toner from a surface of a member rotating in a first direction. The cleaning device includes a blade made of an elastic material including a tip portion with a slanting portion that is pressed against the surface in a second direction counter to the first direction. A supporter supports the blade. An angle between the slanting portion and a longitudinal direction of the blade is obtuse. The slanting portion is pressed against the surface at a surface pressure of 2.0 MPa or more.

Abstract: A cleaner for cleaning a surface of a rotating material, including an elastic blade arranged to counter the rotating material while a tip of the elastic blade is contacted with the surface of the rotating material to clean the surface of the rotating material, wherein the elastic blade has a first surface facing the rotating material, and a second surface opposite to the first surface thereof, and wherein the elastic blade has a recessed portion, which has a bottom surface and a wall, in a rear portion of the second surface; and a support plate configured to support the elastic blade, wherein the support plate has a first surface facing the rotating material, a second surface opposite to the first surface and a tip surface, wherein the elastic blade is connected with the support plate in such a manner that the bottom surface and the wall of the recessed portion of the blade are contacted with the first surface and the tip surface of the support plate, respectively.

Abstract: An expansion valve includes a valve body, a first passage formed in the valve body, a bottomed valve chamber formed in the first passage, a second passage formed in parallel with the first passage in the valve body to allow a refrigerant to pass through, a third passage, and a guide member arranged in an opening portion of the valve body. In the guide member, a guide portion, which slidably guides an operation rod for opening and closing a valve element, and an orifice portion, which has a throttle portion for causing the valve chamber and the second passage to communicate with each other, are formed integrally. The guide member is mounted with a vibration isolating member, and is fixed by staking to the valve body. The orifice portion is formed with a positioning portion for positioning the guide member with respect to the valve body by surface contact.

Abstract: An information processing apparatus is connected to a recording or playback apparatus having a file system. The information processing apparatus includes a receiver for receiving a command provided by an operating system in response to a file operating request from an application, and a converter for converting the command provided by the operating system into a request which is to be converted into a command based on a communication protocol capable of handling the file system in communication with said recording or playback apparatus.

Abstract: An evaporator 10 of an air conditioner comprises a refrigerant entrance port 12 and a refrigerant exit port 14. A division wall 16 of the evaporator is extended to form a housing 200. The housing 200 comprises an inlet 210 for the refrigerant traveling from a compressor, an outlet 220 communicating with the entrance port 12 of the evaporator, and a refrigerant path 230 returning from the evaporator. The cassette unit 100 comprises a pipe member 110, a flange member 120 and a lid member 130, with major components of the expansion valve such as a diaphragm and a driving member for driving a valve means assembled thereto. The cassette unit 100 is accommodated in a hole 240 with steps of the housing 200 to complete the expansion valve.

Abstract: An image formation apparatus comprising at least a moving body to be charged, a charging device for charging the body to be charged using discharge caused by applying a voltage to a charging member provided in contact with or proximity to the body to be charged, a latent image formation device for forming a latent image on a surface of the body to be charged which is charged by the charging device, and a development device for depositing toner on an image portion of the latent image formed by the latent image formation device, wherein an elastic displacement ratio ?e for the surface of the body to be charged is equal to or greater than 40% which is defined by the following formula, elastic displacement ratio ?e(%)=[(maximum displacement)?(plastic displacement)]/(maximum displacement)×100, and the image formation apparatus further comprises a protective material feeding device for depositing a protective material on at least a discharge area of the surface of the body to be charged.

Abstract: An expansion valve 1 comprises a piping member 10 having passages to which pipes for refrigerant are connected, and a cassette unit 100, which are formed as separate components. The cassette unit 100 comprises a flange portion 111 and a tube member 110 which are welded together, and to the interior of which are fixed a guide member 170, an orifice member 180 and a plate member 166. According to the pressure of gas filled in a gas charge chamber 122 defined by a lid 120 and a diaphragm 130, the diaphragm 130 is displaced, the movement of which is transmitted through a stopper 140 to a shaft member 150. The shaft member 150 is guided by a guide member 170 and drives a valve member 160 disposed within a valve chamber 161. The cassette unit 100 is inserted to the piping member 10 and fixed by a ring 50. Seal members 62, 64, 66 are fit to necessary areas.

Abstract: The invention provides an improved structure for assembling components in an expansion valve used in air conditioners. An expansion valve body 30 has a valve chamber 35 and a passage 32 through which refrigerant from a compressor enters. The refrigerant passing through a flow path between a valve means 32b and an orifice 32a is sent through a passage 321 toward an evaporator. The refrigerant returning from the evaporator passes through a passage 34 and flows toward the compressor. A power element 36 operates the valve means 32b in response to the thermal load of the evaporator and controls the flow rate of refrigerant. The lower end of a spring 32d disposed within the valve chamber 35 and biasing the valve means 32b toward the orifice 32a is supported by a sealing member 150 that is inserted to an opening 35a of the valve chamber and fixed to position via a crimping portion K1.

Abstract: The invention provides an expansion valve maintaining the functions of the prior art expansion valve and at the same time realizing a simple arrangement with less components and less required number of assembly steps, and enabling to cut down assembly costs. A first passage 11 through which refrigerant flowing toward an evaporator 2 travels and a second passage 12 through which refrigerant flowing from the evaporator 2 toward a compressor 3 travels are formed within a valve body 10. In response to the temperature of the refrigerant traveling in the second passage 12, a valve actuating member 40? actuates a valve means 20 disposed in the valve body 10 to control the flow of the refrigerant entering the evaporator 2. A seal member 50 sealing the area between the first and second passages 11 and 12 is disposed between the valve body 10 and the valve actuating member 40?. A stopper portion 44 of the seal member 50 is integrally formed in advance to the valve actuating member 40?.

Abstract: An expansion valve 1 includes a square rod-shaped valve body 10. A first path 20 into which refrigerant is introduced, a valve chamber 22 formed near the bottom of the path, a second path 24 for refrigerant heading toward an evaporator and a third path 26 for refrigerant returning from the evaporator are provided to the valve body 10. A valve member 30 provided inside the valve chamber is operated by a power element 70 via an actuating rod 60. In order to assemble the expansion valve, an assembled orifice member 40 and an assembled guide member 100 are press-fitted into an opening provided to the valve body 10.

Abstract: An expansion valve 1 integrated with a solenoid valve includes a valve body 10 and a valve chamber 20 formed inside the valve body 10 to which a high-pressure refrigerant is introduced. A valve member 30 forms a throttle flow path between a valve seat 40, and controls the amount of refrigerant flowing therethrough. The valve body 30 is operated by the movement of a stopper member 80 of a power element 60 via an actuating rod 100. The high-pressure refrigerant acts on a surface 80a of the stopper member 80 opposite to a diaphragm 70 via a pressure equalizing passage 12, a connecting chamber 22 of a solenoid valve 200, and a pressure equalizing passage 14. The stopper member 80 is sealed between the guide member 90, so that the high-pressure refrigerant does not act directly on the diaphragm.

Abstract: The invention provides an expansion valve equipped to an air conditioning system that has a relief valve for discharging the refrigerant in the system in case of an emergency. An expansion valve 1 controls the flow rate of a refrigerant in a valve chamber 14 into which high-pressure refrigerant is introduced by adjusting the gap between a valve means 40 and a valve seat 16, and sends the refrigerant into a passage 20 leading to an evaporator. A solenoid relief valve 100 has a plunger 140 operated by a magnet coil 120, by which a pilot valve seat 152 of a relief valve body 150 is regularly closed. The high-pressure refrigerant introduced to a relief valve chamber 164 of the relief valve body 150 presses the relief valve means 160, regularly closing the valve of the relief valve seat 28. When electricity is supplied to a coil 120, the plunger 140 is attracted toward an attractor 130 and the pilot valve is opened.