Abstract: An electrophotographic fixing device allowing a flow of an AC current through an electromagnetic induction coil arranged close to a heating roller having a metal layer formed of a conductor and allowing the heat generation of the heating roller to heat a to-be-fixed member, in which the fixing device comprises a circuit board for outputting the AC current from an output terminal and passing the current through the electromagnetic induction coil, a conductive plate metal having one end side fixed by a fastening screw to the output terminal of the circuit board, a male-side connection terminal provided on the other end of the plate metal, and a female-side connection terminal provided at an end of a leader line of the electromagnetic induction coil and detachably connected to a male-side connection terminal.

Abstract: A fixing device comprising an endless heating member which is adapted to be contacted with a fixable member to thereby enable an image on the fixable member to be thermally fixed, an electromagnetic inductive coil member disposed close to the endless heating member and inductively heating the endless heating member, and an AC power supply circuit supplying an AC current to the electromagnetic inductive coil member. The coil member is constructed such that in a state where the coil member is positioned in the fixing device, a ratio between an inductance L of the coil member and a load resistance R of the coil member meets a condition of L/R<50×10−6 (H/&OHgr;).

Abstract: The present invention is a fixing device for use in an electrophotographic apparatus arranged in a structure in which a high-frequency current is flowed through an induction coil provided close to an endless member having a metal layer made of a conductive material and the endless member is caused to generate heat to heat a material to be fixed. This fixing device is characterized in that, when a start-up operation is started by electrically conducting the induction coil, the endless member is rotated after the metal layer reaches a temperature higher than a final setting temperature, and for a predetermined time from starting rotation of the endless member, a high-frequency current having a size corresponding to a control value of a temperature lower than the final setting temperature and higher than a target temperature is supplied to the coil.

Abstract: When a voltage abnormality error signal from a drive control section is at a low level, a control section determines a normal state. When the voltage abnormality error signal has arisen to a high level, the control section does not immediately determine an abnormal state and instead measures a time in which the voltage abnormality error signal is at the high level. If the measured time does not exceed a predetermined error timer value (limit value) T, the control section ignores this abnormal state as a temporary voltage abnormality. If the time in which the voltage abnormality error signal is at the high level exceeds the error timer value T, the control section determines a serviceman call error (SC) as the occurrence of voltage abnormality.

Abstract: A high-frequency current is supplied from a high-frequency generating circuit to a coil of a heat roller, and a high-frequency magnetic field is generated from the coil. The high-frequency magnetic field causes an eddy current to be generated in the heat roller, and a developer image on a recording medium is fixed by self-generation of heat of the heating roller based on an eddy-current loss. Electric wires between the high-frequency generating circuit and the coil are electrically shielded by a shield member.

Abstract: A printer controller 41 sets compensation values, representing the positional deviations of LED array chips 31, in a delay circuit section 68 via shift register 61 and a latch circuit 63. The shift register 69 sequentially acquires bit map data from the printer controller 41, and supplies the acquired bit map data to an AND gate 66 through the latch circuit 62. Upon receiving a strobe signal from the printer controller 41, the delay circuit section 68 supplies the received strobe signal to the AND gate 66 after a delay time corresponding to a preset compensation value has lapsed. The AND gate 66 generates drive signals each being the logical product of the input bit map data and the strobe signal, and supplies them to the LED array chips 31 through a buffer 67. The LED array chips 31 make LEDs emit light at the timings corresponding to the positional deviations so that images are formed without a positional deviation.

Abstract: A navigation system which can enhance the position determining accuracy of a mobile object without employing any high precision measuring instrument. The navigation system comprises a GPS range measuring device, an angular velocity measuring device, a velocity measuring device and an azimuth measuring device, which measure the motion of the mobile object; a GPS range error estimating device, an angular velocity error estimating device, a velocity error estimating device and an azimuth error estimating device, which estimate errors involved in the respectively corresponding measuring devices; and a position calculating device which calculates the position of the mobile object from the outputs of the error estimating devices. The error estimating devices are implemented by Kalman filters and averaging processes.

Abstract: An apparatus relates to the switching of the flow of image data so as to optimize the data flow in accordance with the connection state of the respective optional boards of a PM unit, a FAX unit, a PRT unit, and an HDD unit. The flow of image data can be switched to optimize the data flow depending on the connection state of various optional boards.

Abstract: A method for manufacturing a color liquid crystal display device is available where light-blocking layers are provided for the color filter stripes on a pixel-by-pixel basis by inserting the light-blocking layers between stripes of transparent conductive films that are already striped as scanning electrodes. The manufacturing method is characterized by the steps of the formation of a transparent conductive film on a first transparent substrate, patterning of the transparent conductive film by coating the transparent conductive film with a colored, positive resist, exposure and development, coating of patterned transparent conductive films with a blackened, negative resist, formation of black stripes of the negative resist between the patterned transparent conductive films by performing back exposure through the first transparent substrate and development, and the removing the positive resist remaining on the patterned transparent conductive films.

Abstract: A system for measuring a traveling direction of a vehicle includes a geomagnetic sensor and a gyro sensor. The system utilizes first and second indicies for deriving the vehicle traveling direction. The first index is indicative of disturbance of a geomagnetic field on a short interval basis, and the second index is indicative of disturbance of the geomagnetic field on a long interval basis. The system further utilizes a correction value indicative of a drift error caused by the gyro sensor for deriving the vehicle traveling direction. The system varies a rate of dependence upon an output of the geomagnetic sensor and an output of the gyro sensor based on the first and second indicies and the correction value when calculating the vehicle traveling direction.

Abstract: A system measures a traveling direction of a vehicle based on a direction toward a coordinate position defined by output data from a geomagnetic direction sensor from a first center coordinate position of a corresponding output circle. The system derives a second center coordinate position based on the output data from the geomagnetic direction sensor. The system utilizes a first group of the second center coordinate positions and a second group of the second center coordinate positions. When it is decided that the first center coordinate position is shifted, then a new or corrected center coordinate position is derived based on the first group of the second center coordinate positions, on the other hand, when it is decided that no shift of the first center coordinate position is generated, then the corrected center coordinate positiion is derived based on the second group of the second center coordinate positions.

Abstract: A ststem measures a traveling direction of a vehicle based on a direction toward a coordinate position defined by output data from a geomagnetic direction sensor from a first coordinate position of a center of a corresponding output circle. The system utilizes a preliminary coordinate position as a preliminary corrected value of the first center coordinate position and a correction value indicative of reliability of the preliminary center coordinate position for deriving a finally corrected value of the first center coordinate position. The reliability of the preliminary center coordinate position is derived from previously stored data in terms of a derived variation in a vehicular traveling direction. The system derives the finally corrected value of the first center coordinate position based on the preliminary center coordinate position and the correction value such that the finally corrected value is derived closer to the preliminary center coordinate position when the correction value is derived larger.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for measuring a forward direction of a vehicle in which to derive a coordinate position of a center (O.sub.x, O.sub.y) of a directional circle derived from an output of a geomagnetic direction sensor after a magnetization on a vehicle body occurs, the magnetization on the vehicle body is determined from the output of the geomagnetic direction sensor installed in the vehicle and each parameter of a peak quantity (X.sub.max, Y.sub.max), peak direction (D.sub.x, D.sub.y), and a center value of an output circle before the present disturbance occurs is calculated, optimum coefficients are selected and set according to each parameter from among the previously derived coefficients, a magnetization quantity is calculated from each parameter and each optimum coefficient using a linear combination technique, and the coordinate position of the center of the output circle after the magnetization on the vehicle body occurs from the derived magnetization quantity.

Abstract: A heat-rest mounted at the upper edge of a seat back of a seat for a vehicle. The head-rest has stays in upright positions extending between upper and lower ends on upstanding brackets provided on both sides on the upper edge of the seat back frame, and a locking unit for locking the head-rest at desired height. Thus, the mounting strength of the head-rest can be reinforced while providing a good appearance without exposing the stays.