Abstract: In a hybrid vehicle incorporating an internal combustion engine having an in-cylinder injector and a motor, when the temperature of the in-cylinder injector rises, if a current engine operation point is inside a prescribed intermediate load range (deposit risk range) where the temperature of the in-cylinder injector tends to rise, an engine load is increased or reduced while an engine speed is maintained, to thereby change the engine operation point to an engine operation point inside a low load range or to an engine point inside a high load range. A reduction or an increase in the engine output associated with the change of the engine operation point is compensated for by increasing or reducing the output of the motor. Thus, deposit accumulation in the in-cylinder injector is avoided.

Abstract: An information processing apparatus includes: a main body; a first disk device that is built into the main body; an attachment portion to which a device is detachably attached, the attachment portion being disposed in the main body; a disk controller that controls the first disk device and a second disk device, the second disk device being attachable to the attachment portion; and a disc controller that controls a third disc device, the third disc device being attachable to the attachment portion.

Abstract: The scanning lens unit includes lenses located between a optical deflector and a lens having a k-th lens surface Sk from a first lens surface S1 closest to the deflector are disposed such that a height of a lens having the lens surface Sk denoted by ?k satisfies the predetermined expression. each of lenses located between the first lens surface S1 and the k-th lens surface Sk is a cylindrical lens having power only in the determined deflection direction. Therefore, the lenses can individually have minimum thicknesses, as a result, the cost reduction of the scanning lens unit is realized. The optical scanning apparatus includes the scanning lens and hence can achieve cost reduction.

Abstract: A seat belt device includes a shoulder belt portion for restraining the front portion of the upper half of the body of a passenger seated in an associated seat, a lap belt portion for restraining the thighs of the passenger, and a thigh belt portion which extends across a seat cushion of the associated seat so as to be disposed under the thighs of the passenger in use, and which is provided for restraining the thighs of the passenger together with the lap belt portion.

Abstract: An air bag system which is housed in an instrument panel and in which an inflator is ignited by a signal from an acceleration sensor at the time of frontal collision of a vehicle, whereby an air bag is deployed by gas generated so as to restrain a front seat occupant, the air bag having an opening through which the generated gas is allowed to flow into the air bag, an occupant restraint portion, a gas flow path portion between the opening and the occupant restraint portion, and at least one penetrating portion or joint portion located within the air bag for dividing the gas flow path portion into multiple flow paths.

Abstract: A first f? lens is arranged to form an inclination angle ?1 to a main scanning plane. A second f? lens is arranged to form an inclination angle ?2. In order to determine the inclination angles ?1 and ?2, curvature amounts of scanning lines generated on a scanned surface are measured when the f? lenses are independently inclined one at a time at a minute angle. Change rates K1 and K2 are obtained from the measured curvature amounts and the minute angles. The inclination angles ?1 and ?2 are determined such that |K1?1+K2?2| is no more than a certain value.

Abstract: A blue laser light source is a semiconductor laser having a sapphire substrate that is transparent to a wavelength of a blue laser beam emitted from an active layer. A condenser lens converges the blue laser beam at a focal point where a modulator is placed. A slit plate limits the light flux on the exit side of the condenser lens.

Abstract: A first f? lens is arranged to form an inclination angle ?1 to a main scanning plane. A second f? lens is arranged to form an inclination angle ?2. In order to determine the inclination angles ?1 and ?2, curvature amounts of scanning lines generated on a scanned surface are measured when the f? lenses are independently inclined one at a time at a minute angle. Change rates K1 and K2 are obtained from the measured curvature amounts and the minute angles. The inclination angles ?1 and ?2 are determined such that |K1 ?1+K2 ?2| is no more than a certain value.

Abstract: The optical scanning apparatus includes a light amount reducing filter such as a neutral density filter which has transmittance ?nd satisfying an expression ?nd=(W1/W0)/(?AOM×?ref×?tra) and a light amount reducing function using absorption or reflection and which is disposed between a laser light source and an AOM on an optical path of laser light beam. In the expression, W0 denotes the amount of light emitted from the laser light source, W1 denotes the amount of light required for recording on a recording medium, ?AOM denotes diffraction efficiency in the AOM, ?ref denotes a sum of reflectances of reflective optical elements located between the laser light source and a surface to be scanned, of the recording medium, and ?tra denotes a sum of transmittances of transmissive optical elements located between the laser light source and the surface to be scanned, other than transmittance of the neutral density filter.

Abstract: The scanning lens unit includes lenses located between a optical deflector and a lens having a k-th lens surface Sk from a first lens surface S1 closest to the deflector are disposed such that a height of a lens having the lens surface Sk denoted by ?k satisfies the predetermined expression. each of lenses located between the first lens surface S1 and the k-th lens surface Sk is a cylindrical lens having power only in the determined deflection direction. Therefore, the lenses can individually have minimum thicknesses, as a result, the cost reduction of the scanning lens unit is realized. The optical scanning apparatus includes the scanning lens and hence can achieve cost reduction.

Abstract: In an image recording apparatus, an exposure control circuit includes: a clock selecting circuit for respectively outputting different scanning clocks corresponding to each laser light sources based on information on oscillation wavelengths of laser beams; and laser driving circuits for operating synchronously with the respective scanning clocks to output modulation signals corresponding to image data for each of the laser light sources. The clock selecting circuit selectively output one scanning clock among a plurality of scanning clocks with different oscillation frequencies which are previously prepared based on the information on the oscillation wavelengths of the plurality of laser beams with respect to at least one laser light source among the plurality of laser light sources.

Abstract: A semiconductor laser driving circuit for driving a semiconductor laser as an exposure light source is used in an image recording apparatus for recording an image using a light beam from the laser. The light beam emitted from the laser is subjected to pulse modulation in correspondence with a command signal. The circuit includes an error amplifier for amplifying a difference between the command signal and a signal fed back from the laser to output an output signal, a diode and a resistor connected in series between an input terminal and an output terminal of the error amplifier and a driver for driving the laser based on the output signal.

Abstract: An image capturing apparatus includes an image capturing section and capture control section. The image capturing section converts the shape of an object into an electrical quantity in accordance with the parameter value set in a parameter setting section, and outputs image data representing an image corresponding to the shape of the object. The capture control section receives the image data output from the image capturing section, calculates an evaluation index for evaluating the image quality of the image from the image data. If the evaluation index falls outside the range of a preset reference value, the capture control section changes the parameter value set in the parameter setting section so as to make the evaluation index fall within the range of the reference value to output the image data which is received from the image capturing section and the evaluation index of which falls within the range of the reference value.

Abstract: In an information processing apparatus such as a space-saving type personal computer having a liquid-cooling type cooling system, the presence of a cooling liquid, the presence of a frozen state of the cooling liquid and the temperature of the cooling liquid are detected. When a freeze of the cooling liquid is detected, a CPU is throttled down to defrost the cooling liquid, or the cooling liquid is heated to be prevented from being frozen. Alternatively, a warning of detection of a freeze may be displayed. Alternatively, activation of the system may be stopped or operation of the system may be interrupted. By such measures, system failure is prevented from being caused by leaking, shortage, freezing, etc. of the cooling liquid.

Abstract: An inductor is constructed to achieve efficient formation of external electrodes, and exhibits high reliability of connection between the external electrodes and an internal conductor, and desired characteristics. In the method of manufacturing the inductor, a magnetic material formed by kneading a magnetic material and a resin is molded to form a magnetic material compact body in which the internal conductor is partially exposed from the external surface thereof, and then the surface of the magnetic material compact body is plated to form the external electrodes including a plated metal film and connected to the internal conductor. The surface of the magnetic material compact body is roughened, and then the external electrodes are formed via plating.

Abstract: A method for manufacturing an inductor is performed in such a manner that the surface of a metal wire provided with an insulating film thereon is coated with a thermal melting resin. The thickness of the thermal melting resin is, for example, approximately 1 ?m. As the thermal melting resin, a thermoplastic resin or a thermosetting resin, such as a polyimide resin or an epoxy resin, containing 85 wt % of a powdered ferrite is used. This coated metal wire is densely wound to form a solenoid-type coil conductor. Next, the thermal melting resin is softened by a heat treatment at, for example, 180° C. and is then solidified by spontaneous cooling. Accordingly, the portions of the coil conductor adjacent to each other are bonded together by the thermal melting resin.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a forming unit configured to form a latent electrostatic image on a latent electrostatic image bearing member based on a digital image; a developing unit configured to develop the latent electrostatic image with a toner to form a visible image; a transferring unit configured to transfer the visible image to one of an electrophotographic image receiving roll and an electrophotographic image receiving sheet; and a smoothing and fixing unit configured to smooth and fix the transferred image on one of the electrophotographic image receiving roll and the electrophotographic image receiving sheet to thereby form a series of electrophotographic prints and an electrophotographic print. In the apparatus, the hardware including the media, printer and unit for aftertreatment optimally matches with the toner, and the apparatus can produce high-quality images equal to silver-halide photographs.

Abstract: In an air bag system in which an air bag is placed under an upper surface of an instrument panel for restraining a passenger by igniting an inflator by a signal from an acceleration sensor when a vehicle is crashed and deploying the air bag with gas generated by the ignition of the inflator, a method for forming a pocket in a lower surface of the air bag when it is inflated.

Abstract: In an exposure device, a beam emitted from a light emitting point of a laser diode (LD) is limited by a slit. The slit limits a light beam in a direction orthogonal to an active layer of the LD. The exposure device has a moving mechanism which moves a plate in which the slit is provided, in a direction orthogonal to the plate. Object points are different at a beam and at flare light. Therefore, the plate is provided in a vicinity of the light emitting point in order to limit the light beam in the vicinity of the light emitting point, i.e., at a place near a point where a beam spot is smallest, and to be able to effectively block only the flare light.

Abstract: An information processing apparatus includes a unit for disabling an output of sound information, a unit for detecting a state of the sound information, and a unit for notifying a user of the state of the sound information detected with the unit for detecting the state by using information other than a sound.