Abstract: There are provided a multi-layer piezoelectric element capable of suppressing the development of a small crack occurring at an interface between a piezoelectric layer and an internal electrode layer or in the internal electrode layer, and a piezoelectric actuator, an injection device and a fuel injection system including the same. A multi-layer piezoelectric element includes a stacked body in which piezoelectric layers and internal electrode layers are laminated, and an external electrode disposed on a side surface of the stacked body and electrically connected to the internal electrode layers through a conductive bonding material, the external electrode including protrusions protruding toward the stacked body.

Abstract: A variable displacement swash plate type compressor includes a control valve having a valve body and a solenoid portion A refrigerant circuit has first and second pressure monitoring points. A load based on a point-to-point differential pressure, which is a differential pressure between the pressure at the first and second pressure monitoring points, is applied to the valve body. At least one of a load based on a DS differential pressure, which is a differential pressure between the pressure in a discharge pressure zone and the pressure in a suction pressure zone, and a load based on a CS differential pressure, which is a differential pressure between the pressure in the control pressure chamber and the pressure in the suction pressure zone, acts on the valve body in the same direction as the direction of the load applied to the valve body based on the point-to-point differential pressure.

Abstract: An airbag of a head-protecting airbag device includes a bag body, a plurality of mounting tabs for mounting an upper edge of the bag body on the vehicle body, and a tension cloth. The bag body includes at its terminal region in a front and rear direction where the tension cloth is located a terminal inflatable portion that is partitioned from a remaining general inflatable portion by a terminal partitioning portion. The terminal inflatable portion is so deployable that its upper end region be deployed on an inboard side of a pillar. The mounting tabs include a terminal mounting tab located at the terminal region where the terminal inflatable portion is located and a general mounting tab located at the general inflatable portion. An upward protruding amount of the terminal mounting tab out of the bag body in an unfolded state is greater than that of the general mounting tab.

Abstract: A head-protecting airbag device includes an airbag that is inflatable in such a manner as to separate an inboard side wall and an outboard side wall while unfolding downward from a housing. The airbag includes a front inflatable shielding region that covers an inboard side of a window and includes a sub inflatable region that is inflatable later than the main inflatable region. The sub inflatable region includes a supportive inflatable region that is supported by a vehicle body member which is disposed below a beltline. The airbag is stored in the housing such that a front lower corner of the sub inflatable region is folded inward on a crease extending obliquely rearward and downward from the front edge to the lower edge of the airbag before the airbag is subjected to a vertical size reducing folding that brings the lower edge as unfolded flatly close to the upper edge.

Abstract: A piston-type compressor includes a housing, a drive shaft supported on the housing, a communication hole formed inside the drive shaft, a valve mechanism, and a cylindrical body. The cylindrical body is inserted in the communication hole to disconnect a residual gas bypass passage and the communication hole from each other and to open the interior space of the cylindrical body to the communication hole. The valve mechanism includes an annular space defined outside the cylindrical body in the communication hole and multiple connection holes providing communication between the annular space and communication passages. The residual gas bypass passage is formed of the annular space and the multiple connection holes.

Abstract: There is provided a feeding device for feeding a sheet in which, when a user operates a knob of a second regulating portion disposed on a front side to move the second regulating portion, locking of a first regulating portion disposed on a rear side can be released.

Abstract: An airbag of a head-protecting airbag device includes a bag body and a connecting member. The bag body includes a general inflatable portion and a terminal inflatable portion adjoining the general inflatable portion and located at a terminal region in a front and rear direction of the bag body. The connecting member is disposed over an outboard side of the terminal inflatable portion and includes at the leading end a mounting portion to be secured to a periphery of a vehicle window. The root end of the connecting member is jointed to a closed portion of the bag body at least by two jointing points disposed away from each other in an up and down direction. The jointing points are generally equally distant from the mounting portion.

Abstract: An airbag of a head-protecting airbag device includes a bag body, a plurality of mounting tabs for mounting an upper edge of the bag body on the vehicle body, and a tension cloth. The bag body includes at its terminal region in a front and rear direction where the tension cloth is located a terminal inflatable portion that is partitioned from a remaining general inflatable portion by a terminal partitioning portion. The terminal inflatable portion is so deployable that its upper end region be deployed on an inboard side of a pillar. The mounting tabs include a terminal mounting tab located at the terminal region where the terminal inflatable portion is located and a general mounting tab located at the general inflatable portion. An upward protruding amount of the terminal mounting tab out of the bag body in an unfolded state is greater than that of the general mounting tab.

Abstract: A sheet feeding apparatus has a conveying roller, a separation member which presses against the conveying roller to form a separation nip portion that separates received sheets one by one, a feeding member configured to feed a sheet towards the separation nip portion, a nip guide member having a first guide portion configured to contact with a leading edge of the sheet fed by the feeding member and a second guide portion disposed at facing position to the conveying roller and configured to guide the sheet abutted with the first guide portion for the separation nip portion and a biasing member configured to bias the nip guide member. The nip guide member rotates around a rotation shaft and the second guide portion is disposed at predetermined distance from the conveying roller and moves in a direction of separating from the conveying roller against biasing force by the biasing member.

Abstract: Disclosed are a sheet feeding apparatus and an image forming apparatus capable of reliably separating and feeding sheets one by one without delay and damage to a sheet for a high speed of a printer or the like. A sheet feeding portion has a nip guide member having a sloped guide surface sloped so as to guide a leading end of a sheet to a separation nip portion such that a guide leading-end is biased to a feed roller with a predetermined distance from the feed roller. A support member supports the nip guide member not to recede from the feed roller when a thickness of a sheet bundle bumping into the sloped guide surface is smaller than a predetermined distance between the feed roller and the guide leading-end and supports the nip guide member to recede from the feed roller when the thickness is larger than the predetermined distance.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a plurality of photosensitive drums and a plurality of developing rollers for developing latent images formed on the photosensitive drums, respectively. A switching unit switches positions of the plurality of developing rollers relative to the photosensitive drums, respectively, between developing positions for developing the latent images and spaced positions retracted from the developing positions. The developing rollers are capable of taking (i) a full spaced state in which all of the developing rollers are in the spaced positions, (ii) a partly developing state in which a portion of the developing rollers are in the developing positions, while the other is in the spaced position, and (iii) a full developing state in which all of the developing rollers are in the developing positions. The switching unit switches the positions of the developing rollers among the three states in a predetermined fixed order.

Abstract: A head protection airbag apparatus includes an airbag which is configured so that an attaching portion arranged on an upper edge thereof upon completion of inflation is attached to a body of the vehicle using an attaching clip. The attaching portion includes an attaching hole to which the attaching clip is insertable. The attaching clip includes an attaching leg. The attaching leg includes an insertion shaft portion adapted to be inserted in the locking hole and at least a pair of locking claws. The attaching hole is configured so that, when the attaching leg is inserted through the attaching hole, an peripheral edge portion of the attaching hole is pressed against an outer peripheral surface side on a region of the insertion shaft portion which is located more toward the base portion than the locking claws.

Abstract: Interlocked with an operation in which a feeding cassette is drawn out from a main body of a device, a restriction rib moves to a permissive position from a restrictive position, and interlocked with an operation in which the feeding cassette is inserted into the main body of the device, the restriction rib moves to the restrictive position from the permissive position.

Abstract: An airbag of a head-protecting airbag device includes a bag body, a tension belt extending from a front region of the bag body and a tether for covering an outer circumference of the bag body. The bag body includes a terminal inflatable portion and a central inflatable portion. The tension belt is disposed along a front and rear direction of the bag body so as to be deployable on an outboard side of the terminal inflatable portion. The tether is run through a slit formed on a partitioning portion which partitions the terminal inflatable portion from the central inflatable portion and covers an inboard side of the terminal inflatable portion and an outboard side of the central inflatable portion.

Abstract: A head-protecting airbag device includes an airbag that is inflatable in such a manner as to separate an inboard side wall and an outboard side wall while unfolding downward from a housing. The airbag includes a front inflatable shielding region that covers an inboard side of a window and includes a sub inflatable region that is inflatable later than the main inflatable region. The sub inflatable region includes a supportive inflatable region that is supported by a vehicle body member which is disposed below a beltline. The airbag is stored in the housing such that a front lower corner of the sub inflatable region is folded inward on a crease extending obliquely rearward and downward from the front edge to the lower edge of the airbag before the airbag is subjected to a vertical size reducing folding that brings the lower edge as unfolded flatly close to the upper edge.

Abstract: A head protection air bag includes: an inflating and covering part configured to be inflated to separate an inside wall and an outside wall from each other on receiving the inflating gas to cover a window; multiple mounting parts; and a connecting opening part projecting upward from an upper edge of the inflating and covering part, wherein: the mounting parts and the connecting opening part are formed separately from the inflating and covering part; a hollow woven bag part and a sewn part are arranged serially; the hollow woven bag part and the sewn bag part are sewn and connected to each other; the hollow woven bag part constitutes an upper portion of the inflating and covering part; and the hollow woven bag part has a rectangular outer shape when the inside wall and the outside wall are put on each other and are developed flat.

Abstract: A variable displacement swash plate type compressor includes a control valve having a valve body and a solenoid portion A refrigerant circuit has first and second pressure monitoring points. A load based on a point-to-point differential pressure, which is a differential pressure between the pressure at the first and second pressure monitoring points, is applied to the valve body. At least one of a load based on a DS differential pressure, which is a differential pressure between the pressure in a discharge pressure zone and the pressure in a suction pressure zone, and a load based on a CS differential pressure, which is a differential pressure between the pressure in the control pressure chamber and the pressure in the suction pressure zone, acts on the valve body in the same direction as the direction of the load applied to the valve body based on the point-to-point differential pressure.

Abstract: A feeding apparatus and an image forming apparatus capable of appropriately detecting sheets stacked on a stacking plate are provided. The feeding apparatus includes a sheet contact portion configured to make contact with a sheet stacked on a stacker. The sheet contact portion is arranged between a position where a feed roller makes contact with the sheet and a position where a conveyance roller makes contact with the sheet, in a feeding direction, and within an area of the feed roller in an axial direction of the feed roller.

Abstract: A feeding apparatus and an image forming apparatus capable of reducing malfunctions due to wear of a portion where a sheet surface detection member makes contact with a sheet, and stably providing favorable feeding performance are provided. The feeding apparatus includes a holder configured to hold a first lever and a feed roller. The first lever includes a sheet contact portion configured to make contact with a sheet stacked on a sheet stacker. The feed roller, the first lever, and the holder are configured to be integrally detachable from a main body of the feeding apparatus.

Abstract: In a head-protecting airbag device, an airbag includes an inflatable curtain portion that is deployable over an inboard side of a window and an overlap inflatable portion that overlaps with an inboard side of the inflatable curtain portion at airbag deployment. The overlap inflatable portion is so configured as to complete inflation after the inflatable curtain portion has completed inflation. The overlap inflatable portion is deployable into a generally rod shape extending at a slant relative to an up and down direction and a first end of the overlap inflatable portion communicates with the inflatable curtain portion at a vicinity of an upper edge of the inflatable curtain portion as inflated whereas a second end of the overlap inflatable portion is jointed to a lower edge of the inflatable curtain portion away from the first end in an up and down direction.