Abstract: There is provided a piezoelectric ceramic composition that contains Na, Bi, Ti and Co wherein the composition ratio of Na, Bi, Ti and Co in terms of oxides thereof is in the following composition range (1): aNa2O-bBi2O3-cTiO2-dCoO??(1) where a, b, c and d are mole fractions; 0.03?a?0.042; 0.330?b?0.370; 0.580?c?0.620; 0<d?0.017; and a+b+c+d=1.

Abstract: Disclosed is a method for producing an electrode material for fuel cells, which electrode material has excellent electrochemical catalytic activity and uses a non-carbon conductive oxide carrier having high durability. Specifically disclosed is a method for producing an electrode material for fuel cells, which comprises the following steps. (1) A step wherein carriers mainly composed of tin oxide are dispersed in a solution containing a noble metal colloid, and the noble metal colloid is reduced so that the carriers are loaded with noble metal particles (2) A step wherein the carriers loaded with the noble metal particles are separated from the liquid and dried (3) A step wherein the dried carriers loaded with the noble metal particles are subjected to a heat treatment at a temperature of not less than 80° C. but not more than 250° C.

Abstract: An instrument locally measuring mobility of a protic solvent in a sample 115 based on the gradient magnetic field NMR method has a sample stage 116 on which the sample 115 is placed, a magnet 113 applying a static magnetic field to the sample 115, a G coil 151 and a G coil 153 applying a gradient magnetic field to the sample 115, a small-sized RF coil 114 smaller in size than the G coil 151 applying an oscillating magnetic field for excitation and acquiring an NMR signal corresponded to the oscillating magnetic field for excitation and the gradient magnetic field; a pulse control unit 108 allowing application of the gradient magnetic field and oscillating magnetic field for excitation to be executed according to a predetermined pulse sequence; and an operation unit 130 calculating the mobility at the specific position of the G coil 151, based on information of the NMR signals acquired corresponding to different gradient magnetic fields.

Abstract: A current detection apparatus where a sensor unit that detects the magnetic field in a predetermined magnetic field detection direction is disposed in a vicinity such that the magnetic field detection direction is substantially orthogonal to an extension direction of the subject bus bar at the detection portion, one of the plurality of bus bars disposed adjacent to the subject bus bar is set as an adjacent bus bar, a plane that is orthogonal to an extension direction of each portion of the adjacent bus bar is set as an extension orthogonal plane of the portion, and the extension direction of each portion of the adjacent bus bar relative to the sensor unit is set such that none of the extension orthogonal planes of the respective portions of the adjacent bus bar pass through the sensor unit in a parallel direction to the magnetic field detection direction.

Abstract: There are provided a piezoelectric ceramic composition that includes a bismuth layer-structured compound, which contains Na, Bi, Co and Ln (lanthanoide), as a main component and a piezoelectric ceramic composition that includes a compound, which contains Na, Bi, Ti, Co and Ln (lanthanoide) and has a Na0.5Bi4.5Ti4O15 type crystal structure, as a main component, wherein the piezoelectric ceramic composition has an atomic ratio of 0<Ln/(Na+Bi+Ln)?0.04.

Abstract: A drive control apparatus (100) uses a calculating unit (103) to calculate a danger index indicative of the possibility of occurrence of a dangerous event for a mobile body based on information of the mobile body acquired by an information acquiring unit (101). A notifying unit (104) notifies a passenger of the possibility of occurrence of a dangerous event for the mobile body. A control unit (106) controls a driving unit (102) to stop the drive if a determining unit (105) determines that the danger index is greater than a predetermined value.

Abstract: In a scenery imaging apparatus (100), an image capturing unit (101) captures a scenery image in an arbitrary direction. A dividing unit (102) divides an initial scenery image captured by the image capturing unit (101) in an arbitrary direction into plural cells. A calculating unit (103) calculates a distance to a portion of the initial scenery corresponding to each cell generated from the division by the dividing unit (102). A determining unit (104) determines an image capturing direction using the distances calculated by the calculating unit (103).

Abstract: A traffic information detecting apparatus includes a camera; a driving unit that is equipped with the camera and defines a shooting direction of the camera; an image processing unit that executes predetermined processing with respect to an image of a traffic signal captured by the camera and detects a state of the traffic signal; and a control unit that drives the driving unit based on a detection result of the image processing unit. The image processing unit further recognizes a light type of the traffic signal from an image of a road along which a vehicle is traveling, the image of the road being captured by the camera; and according to the light type detected by the image processing unit, the control unit drives the driving unit to enable the shooting direction of the camera to be defined.

Abstract: There is provided a piezoelectric ceramic composition that contains Na, Bi, Ti and Co wherein the composition ratio of Na, Bi, Ti and Co in terms of oxides thereof is in the following composition range (1): aNa2O-bBi2O3-cTiO2-dCoO??(1) where a, b, c and d are mole fractions; 0.03?a?0.042; 0.330?b?0.370; 0.580?c?0.620; 0<d?0.017; and a+b+c+d=1.

Abstract: Excitation-use high frequency RF generated by an RF oscillator 102 is modulated by a modulator 104 based on control by a pulse control unit 108, to give a pulse form. The generated RF pulse is then amplified by an RF amplifier 106, and set to a small-sized RF coil 114. The small-sized RF coil 114 applies the RF pulse to a specific position of a sample placed on a sample stage 116, and detects echo signals of the RF pulse. The echo signal is amplified by a preamplifier 112, and is then sent to a phase detector 110. The phase detector 110 detects the echo signal, and sent it via an A/D converter 118 to an operation unit 130. The operation unit 130 calculates T2 relaxation time constant based on intensity of the echo signal, and the water content at the predetermined position of the sample is calculated based on the calculated T2 relaxation time constant.

Abstract: A rotating electrical machine includes a DC power supply; a rotating electrical machine; an inverter provided between the DC power supply and the rotating electrical machine to control current flowing in the rotating electrical machine; and a control device that: determines a rotational speed as a rotational speed requested for the rotating electrical machine and a requested torque as a torque requested for the rotating electrical machine; and limits a torque of the rotating electrical machine. The inverter is operated based on the rotational speed and the requested torque determined by the control device, and the control unit changes a limit of the torque in accordance with an inverter voltage which is a voltage applied to a frequency conversion portion provided in the inverter.

Abstract: Objects of the present invention are to provide a piezoelectric ceramic composition which contains substantially no lead, which exhibits excellent piezoelectric characteristics, and which has high heat durability; and to provide a piezoelectric element including the composition. The piezoelectric ceramic composition contains M1 (a divalent metallic element, or a metallic element combination formally equivalent to a divalent metallic element); M2 (a tetravalent metallic element, or a metallic element combination formally equivalent to a tetravalent metallic element); and M3 (a metallic element of a sintering aid component), wherein, when these metallic elements constitute the formula [(½)aK2O-(½)bNa2O-cM1O-(½)dNb2O5-eM2O2], a, b, c, d, and e in the formula satisfy the following relations: 0<a<0.5, 0<b<0.5, 0<c<0.11, 0.4<d<0.56, 0<e<0.12, 0.4<a+b+c?0.

Abstract: In a high frequency heating apparatus, a microcomputer inputs the phase signal of a commercial AC power supply and determines whether a timer switch in a mechanical timer apparatus is in ON-state to determine whether the high frequency heating apparatus is in a heating-time set state. If so, the microcomputer turns on a switch that controls the conduction between the commercial AC power supply and a high voltage transformer at such a timing that minimizes the rush current in accordance with the phase of the commercial AC power supply, thereby suppressing the rush current, allowing the user to visually confirm the remaining heating time, and realizing a cost reduction.

Abstract: In a high frequency heating apparatus, a microcomputer inputs the phase signal of a commercial AC power supply and determines whether a timer switch in a mechanical timer apparatus is in ON-state to determine whether the high frequency heating apparatus is in a heating-time set state. If so, the microcomputer turns on a switch that controls the conduction between the commercial AC power supply and a high voltage transformer at such a timing that minimizes the rush current in accordance with the phase of the commercial AC power supply, thereby suppressing the rush current, allowing the user to visually confirm the remaining heating time, and realizing a cost reduction.

Abstract: A microwave heating apparatus operates in either a first mode or a second mode, that allow different amounts of electric power to be supplied to a load and a control circuit for driving and controlling the load. The voltage applied to a primary coil of a transformer is lower in the second mode than in the first mode. In another apparatus, no electric power is supplied to a control circuit for driving and controlling a heating member and other circuits when the apparatus is in a standby state. However, when the user operates an operation member for opening the door of a heating chamber, electric power is supplied.

Abstract: There is disclosed a harmonic modulation device of waveguide type including a semiconductor laser, a waveguide for generating a nonlinear optical harmonic of the semiconductor laser by keeping phase matching, means for leading an optical beam of the semiconductor laser to the waveguide, electrodes disposed on the waveguide, and means for modulating a refractive index of the waveguide electro-optically to modulate a phase matching condition and thereby modulate an intensity of the harmonic.

Abstract: A battery-monitoring circuit includes a bidirectionally current-controllable means disposed between a secondary battery and a charging circuit or a load circuit for monitoring the charge or discharge of the secondary battery to prevent undesirable charging. The current control means has characteristics as an active diode, which is constituted by an error amplifier to which a predetermined voltage and voltage between both terminals of the current control means are supplied. The current control means supplies an output to the current-controllable means, such that the output of the current-controllable means is controlled constant, equal to the predetermined voltage.

Abstract: Using an LiTaO.sub.3 or LiNbO.sub.3 substrate, a proton exchange layer in a grid pattern, namely sprout areas of polarization inversion, is firstly, formed on the surface of said substrate and, after formation of the pattern, heat treatment is executed at a temperature of 200.degree. C. or more and for a holding time of 10 minutes or less. By maintaining the temperature gradient up to said heat treatment point at 50.degree. C./min. or steeper and by maintaining the temperature decrease rate from said heat treatment point at 50.degree. C./min. or faster, polarization inverted areas are formed downwards from the proton exchanged areas, while in addition to making the top ends of said polarization inverted areas into an acute angle, the depth/weight ratio of the polarization inverted grids being formed is made to exceed 1, thus enabling the production of a high-efficiency SHG element.

Abstract: A circuit element utilizing magnetostatic is formed with an acoustic wave absorbing layer on the other major surface of a non-magnetic substrate remote from the major surface where a magnetostatic wave propagation medium is formed, for the purpose of effectively suppressing an unnecessary spurious mode over a wide frequency band so as to obviate undesirable degradation of the resonance characteristic. That is, the circuit element utilizing the magnetostatic wave includes a thin film of YIG formed on one of the major surfaces of the non-magnetic substrate of GGG by the method of liquid phase epitaxial growth, and electrodes formed on the YIG thin film. In the circuit element, an acoustic wave absorbing layer is formed on the other major surface of the GGG substrate remote from the major surface where the YIG thin film is formed.

Abstract: In growing an oxide single crystal such as a garnet single crystal or ferrite single crystal by the liquid epitaxial process, the Bridgman process or the like, the melting-out of a platinum or platinum-based alloy-made crucible holding a melt for growing the crystal therefrom is prevented by bringing an electrode in contact with the melt or dipping the electrode into the melt in oxygen, air or an inert gas, applying electric current through the melt between the electrode and the metallic container and controlling the current so as to keep it at nearly zero.