Abstract: In a multilevel converter, three switches are connected between three arms and three reactors, and three resistive elements are connected to the respective three switches in parallel. The three switches are configured to be in a conductive state during a normal operation. The three switches are configured to come into a non-conductive state when a short circuit accident occurs between two DC power transmission lines, whereby an inter-arm direct current flowing in four arms and the like is quickly attenuated by the three resistive elements.

Abstract: A semiconductive roller is provided, which has a toner transport amount and a toner charge amount properly controlled, particularly, when being used as a developing roller, and is substantially free from imaging failure such as fogging and background smudging. The semiconductive roller is formed from a semiconductive rubber composition, and has an outer peripheral surface having a surface roughness defined by a roughness profile such that an arithmetic average roughness is not greater than 0.7 ?m and a difference R?c between vertical section levels at two different load length percentages (at a load length percentage Rmr1 of 25% and a load length percentage Rmr2 of 75%) is not greater than 1.2 ?m.

Abstract: An electrically conductive rubber composition is provided, which is usable for production of a developing roller imparted with proper flexibility without the use of a softening agent without the formation of a shield layer and permits the developing roller to form an image substantially free from image forming defects such as banding and fogging. A developing roller employing the electrically conductive rubber composition is also provided. The electrically conductive rubber composition contains a rubber component including only four types of rubbers, i.e., an epichlorohydrin rubber, a butadiene rubber, a chloroprene rubber and an acrylonitrile butadiene rubber, and a crosslinking component including 0.75 to 2.25 parts by mass of sulfur and 0.25 to 0.75 parts by mass of a thiuram accelerating agent based on 100 parts by mass of the overall rubber component. The developing roller (1) is produced from the electrically conductive rubber composition.

Abstract: An electrically conductive rubber composition is provided, which is usable for production of a developing roller imparted with proper flexibility without the use of a softening agent without the formation of a shield layer and permits the developing roller to form an image substantially free from image unevenness due to permanent compressive deformation, banding, fogging and other defects. A developing roller employing the electrically conductive rubber composition is also provided. The electrically conductive rubber composition contains a rubber component including only four types of rubbers, i.e., an epichlorohydrin rubber, a butadiene rubber, a chloroprene rubber and an acrylonitrile butadiene rubber, and 0.75 to 2.25 parts by mass of sulfur, 0.25 to 1 part by mass of a thiuram accelerating agent, 0.75 to 2 parts by mass of a thiazole accelerating agent and 2.5 to 4.5 parts by mass of hydrotalcites based on 100 parts by mass of the overall rubber component.

Abstract: A nonporous semiconductive roller is provided, which constantly ensures proper image formation substantially without image density unevenness attributable to the roughness of an outer peripheral extrusion surface thereof when being used as a developing roller. The semiconductive roller (1) is made of a nonporous crosslinking product of a rubber composition which contains a rubber component including only four types of rubbers including an epichlorohydrin rubber, a chloroprene rubber, a butadiene rubber and an acrylonitrile butadiene rubber.

Abstract: A semiconductive roller (1) is provided, which is formed from a rubber composition containing a rubber component including: (1) an epichlorohydrin rubber; (2) at least one solid rubber selected from the group consisting of a solid BR and a solid SBR; and (3) at least one liquid rubber selected from the group consisting of a liquid BR and a liquid SBR.

Abstract: An automatic document feeder includes a sheet feeding tray on which a document is stacked; a slit glass on which the document is scanned while moving; a discharge path in which the document is conveyed after the document is scanned; a document discharge unit to which the document is discharged through the discharge path; and a stamp device that makes a mark on a scanned surface of the document being in the discharge path. The stamp device includes a printing unit that faces the scanned surface of the document. The printing unit is movable between a first position at which the printing unit faces the document being in the discharge path and a second position at which the printing unit is retracted from the discharge path.

Abstract: A semiconductive roller is provided which includes a roller body formed from a highly extrudable rubber composition containing an SBR and an epichlorohydrin rubber in combination as a rubber component, the roller body having a higher production yield and higher toner imaging durability, and unlikely to suffer from reduction in image density due to adhesion of toner and a contact mark on an outer peripheral surface thereof with a smaller compression set. In the rubber component, the SBR and the epichlorohydrin rubber are present in an SBR excess state. In the rubber composition, a crosslinking component for crosslinking the rubber component includes a sulfur crosslinking agent and 0.75 to 3 parts by mass of a thiazole accelerating agent based on 100 parts by mass of the rubber component. The roller body (2) of the semiconductive roller (1) is made of a crosslinking product of the rubber composition.

Abstract: A semiconductive roller (1) is provided, which is formed from a rubber composition containing a rubber component including: (1) an epichlorohydrin rubber; (2) at least one solid rubber selected from the group consisting of a solid BR and a solid SBR; and (3) at least one liquid rubber selected from the group consisting of a liquid BR and a liquid SBR.

Abstract: A semiconductive roller (1) according to the present invention has a nonporous single-layer structure formed from a rubber composition which includes: a rubber component including a styrene butadiene rubber and an epichlorohydrin rubber; and a salt of an anion having a fluoro group and a sulfonyl group in its molecule; the salt being present in the rubber composition in a proportion of 0.05 to 5 parts by mass based on 100 parts by mass of the overall rubber component.

Abstract: A semiconductor device includes grooves defining an active region, including a MISFET, and dummy regions. A first interlayer insulation film is formed over the MISFET, the active region and the dummy regions. A first wiring, and first and second dummy wirings are formed over the first interlayer insulation film. A second interlayer insulation film is formed over the first wiring and the dummy wirings. The second dummy wirings are arranged between the first wiring and the first dummy wirings, and the pitch of the first dummy wirings is larger than that of the second dummy wirings. In planar view, the first and second dummy wirings are arranged over the dummy regions, and the size of each of the first dummy wirings is larger than size of each of the second dummy wirings. The first wiring and the first and second dummy wirings are formed of copper as a major component.

Abstract: A semiconductive roller is provided, which has a toner transport amount and a toner charge amount properly controlled, particularly, when being used as a developing roller, and is substantially free from imaging failure such as fogging and background smudging. The semiconductive roller is formed from a semiconductive rubber composition, and has an outer peripheral surface having a surface roughness defined by a roughness profile such that an arithmetic average roughness is not greater than 0.7 ?m and a difference R?c between vertical section levels at two different load length percentages (at a load length percentage Rmr1 of 25% and a load length percentage Rmr2 of 75%) is not greater than 1.2 ?m.

Abstract: A semiconductive roller (1) according to the present invention has a nonporous single-layer structure formed from a rubber composition which includes: a rubber component including a styrene butadiene rubber and an epichlorohydrin rubber; and a salt of an anion having a fluoro group and a sulfonyl group in its molecule; the salt being present in the rubber composition in a proportion of 0.05 to 5 parts by mass based on 100 parts by mass of the overall rubber component.

Abstract: To provide a semiconductive roller which, when being used as a developing roller in combination with a positively chargeable toner, is capable of suppressing adhesion of the toner thereto to suppress reduction of image density, charging the toner to a higher toner charging level to ensure formation of higher-quality images, and suppressing reduction of toner charging level even after continuous repeated image formation to thereby suppress fogging of formed images for a longer period of time. The semiconductive roller (1) is made of a crosslinking product of a rubber composition containing at least an epichlorohydrin rubber and a chloroprene rubber, and has a fluorinated film (5) formed in an outer peripheral surface (4) thereof by treatment with fluorine gas.

Abstract: A semiconductor device includes grooves defining an active region, including a MISFET, and dummy regions. A first interlayer insulation film is formed over the MISFET, the active region and the dummy regions. A first wiring, and first and second dummy wirings are formed over the first interlayer insulation film. A second interlayer insulation film is formed over the first wiring and the dummy wirings. The second dummy wirings are arranged between the first wiring and the first dummy wirings, and the pitch of the first dummy wirings is larger than that of the second dummy wirings. In planar view, the first and second dummy wirings are arranged over the dummy regions, and the size of each of the first dummy wirings is larger than size of each of the second dummy wirings. The first wiring and the first and second dummy wirings are formed of copper as a major component.

Abstract: A semiconductive roller according to the present invention includes a crosslinked product containing just the three types of rubber of butadiene rubber, epichlorohydrin rubber, and chloroprene rubber as rubber components, has a non-porous, single-layer structure, and has a compression set Cs (%) of not more than 10% as measured in accordance with the measurement method described in the Japanese Industrial Standards JIS K6262:2006 under conditions of a test temperature of 70° C., a test time of 24 hours, and a compression ratio of 25%.

Abstract: A semiconductive roller of the present invention includes a crosslinked product of a rubber composition containing just the two types of rubber of butadiene rubber and epichlorohydrin rubber as rubber components.

Abstract: A developing roller is provided which is capable of forming a toner layer having the most uniform possible thickness on an outer peripheral surface of a roller body thereof. The roller body (2) of the developing roller (1) is formed from a rubber composition containing a base rubber which is a mixture of NBR and/or SBR, CR, an epichlorohydrin rubber and IIR, wherein the IIR is present in a proportion of not less than 2.5 parts by mass and not greater than 20 parts by mass in 100 parts by mass of the base rubber.

Abstract: An inventive developing roller is adapted for use in an electrophotographic image forming apparatus. The developing roller includes a roller body. At least an outer peripheral surface of the roller body is formed from a rubber composition containing a base rubber. The base rubber contains a styrene butadiene rubber in a proportion of not less than 10 mass % and not greater than 70 mass % based on the overall amount of the base rubber. The outer peripheral surface of the rubber body has a surface roughness Ra of not less than 0.78 ?m and not greater than 1.8 ?m.

Abstract: There is provided a technique for improving the flatness at the surface of members embedded in a plurality of recesses without resulting in an increase in the time required for the manufacturing processes. According to this technique, the dummy patterns can be placed up to the area near the boundary BL between the element forming region DA and dummy region FA by placing the first dummy pattern DP1 of relatively wider area and the second dummy pattern DP2 of relatively small area in the dummy region FA. Thereby, the flatness of the surface of the silicon oxide film embedded within the isolation groove can be improved over the entire part of the dummy region FA. Moreover, an increase of the mask data can be controlled when the first dummy patterns DP1 occupy a relatively wide region among the dummy region FA.