Abstract: A two-phase driving operation is performed by a first circuit and a second circuit in at least one sub-field. The first circuit applies a first ramp waveform that drops from a first potential to a second potential to a plurality of first scan electrodes in a setup period, and sequentially applies a scan pulse to the plurality of first scan electrodes in a write period. The second circuit applies a second ramp waveform that drops from the first potential to a third potential that is higher than the second potential to a plurality of second scan electrodes in the setup period, and holds the second scan electrodes at a fourth potential that is higher than the third potential in a period where the scan pulse is applied to the first scan electrodes, and then sequentially applies a scan pulse to the plurality of second electrodes in the write period. Discharge failures during write discharges can be prevented from occurring by applying the two-phase driving operation.

Abstract: The liquid discharging device includes a driving mechanism that drives a needle, a measurement plunger member and an inlet valve member that are concentrically-arranged inside a container. The driving mechanism includes: a piezoelectric-element support plate to which piezoelectric elements are attached; a spring for biasing the piezoelectric-element support plate toward a discharge outlet; and a control device adapted to control the piezoelectric elements separately. The piezoelectric-element support plate includes: a base end to which first end sides of the piezoelectric elements are fixed; a drive unit to which second end sides of the piezoelectric elements are fixed; and a displacement expanding portion expanding and outputting a displacement of the drive unit, the drive unit being displaced in conjunction with a expansion and contraction driving of the piezoelectric elements.

Abstract: A two-phase driving operation is performed by a first circuit and a second circuit in at least one sub-field. The first circuit applies a first ramp waveform that drops from a first potential to a second potential to a plurality of first scan electrodes in a setup period, and sequentially applies a scan pulse to the plurality of first scan electrodes in a write period. The second circuit applies a second ramp waveform that drops from the first potential to a third potential that is higher than the second potential to a plurality of second scan electrodes, and then raises the plurality of second scan electrodes to a fourth potential in the setup period, and holds the plurality of second scan electrodes at a fifth potential that is higher than the third potential and lower than the fourth potential in a period where the first scan pulse is applied, and then sequentially applies a scan pulse to the plurality of second electrodes in the write period.

Abstract: A tube pump includes tubes, hooks, tube receivers, three or more fingers, and a drive mechanism. The tubes each include intermediate tubes, connectors, and end tubes. The tubes are attached by engaging the connectors with the hooks provided on upper and lower sides. The intermediate tubes are provided along the tube receivers. Tube press portions of the fingers are provided between the intermediate tubes. The fingers are driven by the drive mechanism so that the tube press portions are reciprocated between a position where one of the intermediate tubes is squeezed and a position where the other of the intermediate tubes is squeezed.

Abstract: Provided is a process and an apparatus for producing at low cost gas hydrate pellets having an excellent storability. A gas hydrate generated from a raw-material gas and raw-material water is dewatered and simultaneously molded into pellets with compression-molding means under conditions suitable for generating the gas hydrate while the gas hydrate is generated from the raw-material gas and the raw-material water that exist among particles of the gas hydrate.

Abstract: A driving method of plasma display panels is disclosed. This method can suppress a dark belt occurring in displaying a video of a lower part of grayscale. One field includes plural sub-fields, and each one of the sub-fields has an addressing period during which a scan pulse is applied to the scan electrodes and a data pulse is applied to the data electrodes, and a sustaining period during which a sustain pulse is applied to the scan electrodes and the sustain electrodes. A time interval between a scan pulse applied lastly during the addressing period and a sustain pulse applied firstly during the sustaining period is defined as a last pulse-interval. The last pulse-interval of at least one sub-field of a lower part of grayscale, which lower part is darker than a predetermined level of the grayscale, is set longer than the last pulse-intervals of the other sub-fields.

Abstract: A plasma display device includes an AD converter; a video signal processing circuit producing subfield data; a subfield processing circuit producing control signals of each of drive circuits; a plasma display panel having scan electrodes and sustain electrodes which are alternately arranged in n rows, and data electrodes in (k+m) columns arranged in a direction of intersecting with the scan and sustain electrodes; a scan-electrode drive circuit for driving scan electrodes; a sustain-electrode drive circuit for driving sustain electrodes; and a data-electrode drive circuit which has a first drive circuit for driving data electrodes and a second drive circuit for driving data electrodes, and applies writing pulse voltage in order from a data electrode group nearest to the scan-electrode drive circuit.

Abstract: In producing gas hydrate pellets by compression-molding a gas hydrate powder, heat generated in a compressing part is removed with a simple method so as to reduce the degree of gas hydrate decomposition, and a gas hydrate aggregate blocking the compressing part is promptly and easily removed. A gas-hydrate-pellet production apparatus A is characterized by including: a roll-cooling mechanism which causes cooling water to flow through outer peripheral portions and/or insides of rolls 6a and 6b, thereby cooling the rolls 6a and 6b, and also cools the cooling water 43 discharged after the flow and supplies the cooled cooling water 43 to the outer peripheral portion and/or the inner portion of each of the rolls 6a and 6b; and/or heating means provided in a part of a hopper chamber 5 from which the gas hydrate powder n is fed to the rolls 6a and 6b.

Abstract: Random access reproduction in prompt response to user commands is realized. A stream analyzing block analyzes sequentially inputted transport streams to get entry point data. Discontinuity point data are obtained in correspondence to a discontinuity occurrence flag inputted from a PLL block. Sequentially inputted transport packets are analyzed to get mark point data. A stream database creating block creates a stream database by use of the discontinuity point data and the mark point data. The stream database is recorded on a recording medium.

Abstract: A plasma display device and a driving method thereof are provided. The plasma display device has a panel having a plurality of discharge cells including a display electrode pair that is formed of a scan electrode and a sustain electrode, and a temperature detecting circuit for detecting the ambient temperature of the panel and outputting the detected temperature. In the driving method, an unusual charge erasing period when a rectangular waveform voltage is applied to the scan electrode is disposed between the initializing period and address period of at least one of a plurality of subfields, and the number of subfields having the unusual charge erasing period is controlled based on the detected temperature detected by the temperature detecting circuit.

Abstract: To provide an automatic film winding apparatus, a slit winding system and a method for producing a rolled film which can improve winding quality, is reduced in size and enables winding mechanisms to be arranged in multiple stages. The automatic film winding apparatus includes winding shafts 21 and 22 for winding a film around a winding core 12, a turret 20 for pivotably supporting the winding shafts 21 and 22 in a rotatable manner, a touch roller 23 which presses the film to the winding shaft 22 when a predetermined amount of the film is wound by the winding shaft 21, and the turret 20 is rotated by a predetermined angle to allow the film to be hung on the winding shaft 22, a cutter 241 which cuts the film between the winding shaft 21 and the winding shaft 22, and a film affixing roller 25 which presses the film which has been cut to the winding shaft 22, and moves to the front end of the film while winding the film around the winding core 12 with the film being pressed.

Abstract: The plasma display panel driving method is a method of driving a panel provided with a plurality of discharge cells, each having a scan electrode and a sustain electrode, and includes forming one-field period by arranging a plurality of sub-fields including an initializing period, address period, and sustain period, wherein sustain pulse is either a first sustain pulse for generating emission having one peak at the discharge cell or a second sustain pulse for generating emission having two peaks at the discharge cell, and rise time of second sustain pulse applied to the scan electrode and rise time of second sustain pulse applied to the sustain electrode are individually set in accordance with ratios of discharge cells for emitting light in the sustain period of the sub-field.

Abstract: In a steering apparatus for a vehicle which has a steering mechanism for steering steerable road wheels by means of a steering wheel operated by a driver and an electrically controllable auxiliary steering angle superposition mechanism, and in which a target auxiliary steering angle is set in accordance with a steering wheel angle, and an electric motor of the auxiliary steering angle superposition mechanism is driven and controlled according to the target auxiliary steering angle, the rotation of the electric motor 212 is inhibited without regard to the state of the driving control. A short-circuit relay 13 is provided for short-circuiting opposite terminals of the electric motor 212, and the short-circuit relay 13 is operated so as to short-circuit the opposite terminals of the electric motor 212 through a short-circuit relay driving unit 14 in accordance with the kind of a failure detected by a failure detection unit 18, whereby the rotation of the electric motor 212 is inhibited.

Abstract: In a steering apparatus for a vehicle, a target sub steering angle ?SREF is set by a target-sub-steering-angle setting unit on the basis of an output ?H of a steering-wheel-angle detection unit and a transmission characteristic f(?H) of a transmission-characteristic setting unit, and a target current IREF is set by a target-current setting unit on the basis of the target sub steering angle ?SREF and an output ?S of the sub-steering-angle detection unit. Current control unit controls a current which flows through an electric motor of a sub-steering-angle superposition mechanism, so that the target current IREF and a current IS of current detection unit may agree.

Abstract: A diaphragm pump 1 has a base block 2, a diaphragm 8 and a drive unit for driving the diaphragm to reciprocate. The base block 2 has three or more liquid flow paths, each having three recesses 23 through 25 or more recesses. The diaphragm 8 and the respective recesses 23 through 25 define a plurality of valve chambers and the metering chamber.

Abstract: A voltage of sustain electrodes (SU1 to SUn) is lowered from Ve1 to a ground potential at a time point t1 immediately before a first SF (sub-field). Then, a pulsed positive voltage Vd is applied to data electrodes (D1 to Dm) at a starting time point t2 of a setup period of the first SF. Immediately before this, a large amount of negative wall charges is stored on the sustain electrodes (SU1 to SUn) and positive wall charges are stored on the data electrodes (D1 to Dm), and therefore application of the pulsed positive voltage Vd to the data electrodes generates strong discharges between the sustain electrodes (SU1 to SUn) and the data electrodes (D1 to Dm). After that, application of a ramp voltage to scan electrodes (SC1 to SCn) is started at a time point t3, generating setup discharges between the scan electrodes (SC1 to SCn) and the sustain electrodes (SU1 to SUn).

Abstract: A vehicular steering system can suppress, even upon a change in a neutral position of a steering wheel, a right and left difference in the behavior of a vehicle by keeping neutral positions of steerable road wheels from the start of control. The system includes a steering mechanism that steers the steerable road wheels of the vehicle through the steering wheel and an auxiliary steering angle superposition mechanism. A steered angle of the steerable road wheels is detected as an absolute angle. The auxiliary steering angle superposition mechanism is controlled by a target auxiliary steering angle. An activation angle setting section sets, at the start of control, the initial values of a steering wheel angle and an auxiliary steering angle as an activation steering wheel angle and an activation auxiliary steering angle by the steered angle and a transmission characteristic between the steering wheel angle and the steered angle.

Abstract: Provided to stabilize generation of address discharge and improve gradation characteristics of display images are the following elements: a plasma display panel; a sustain pulse generating circuit; and a ramp voltage generating circuit including a first ramp voltage generating circuit, a second ramp voltage generating circuit, and a switching circuit. The first ramp voltage generating circuit generates a first ramp voltage gently increasing in an initializing period. The second ramp voltage generating circuit generates a second ramp voltage increasing with a gradient gentler than that of the rising edge of a sustain pulse and steeper than that of the first ramp voltage, at the end of each sustain period. The switching circuit stops the operation of the second ramp voltage generating circuit immediately after the second ramp voltage reaches a predetermined electric potential. In at least one sustain period of one field, no sustain pulse but the second ramp voltage is generated.

Abstract: A molding machine for production of gas hydrate pellets under a high pressure in gas hydrate forming conditions, which is inexpensive through minimizing of the use of expensive mechanical seal. The molding machine comprises two forming rolls each fitted to a rotary shaft whose both ends are supported by bearings; a drive unit for rotating the forming rolls; a screw transfer unit for supplying powder to the forming rolls; and a high-pressure vessel, wherein the bearings, the rotary shaft and the forming rolls are all disposed in the high-pressure vessel.

Abstract: A sustain pulse generation circuit of a plasma display device generates and switches a first sustain pulse for causing light emission having double peaks, a second sustain pulse having a falling edge steeper than that of the first sustain pulse, and a third sustain pulse having a rising edge and a falling edge steeper than those of the first sustain pulse and causing light emission having a single peak. The second sustain pulse or the third sustain pulse is generated immediately before the third sustain pulse. The first sustain pulse is generated immediately before the second sustain pulse. Provided between the second sustain pulse and the third sustain pulse and between the third sustain pulses is a first overlap period in which a time period for causing the corresponding sustain pulse to rise is overlapped with a time period for causing the corresponding sustain pulse to fall.