Abstract: The hollow fiber membrane module contains a hollow fiber membrane bundle having bundled hollow fiber membranes, a housing with an internal space formed in which the hollow fiber membrane bundle is housed and a gas supply portion which disperses cleaning gas for the hollow fiber membrane in the internal space. The internal space has an upper space in which an upper-side part of the hollow fiber membrane is positioned and a lower space in which a lower-side part of the hollow fiber membrane is positioned. The gas supply portion is provided with pipe vent holes which disperse gas in the housing at a position in the upper space and diffusing vent holes which disperse gas in the housing at a position below the lower space.

Abstract: An imaging apparatus includes a transfer belt, a transfer roller, a conductive roller, and a power source. The transfer roller includes a metal shaft electrically floating during an imaging operation. The conductive device has an electrical resistance lower than an electrical resistance of the transfer roller. The power source is electrically connected to the conductive device, and the power source includes a first supply path to supply a first electrical bias to the conductive device during an imaging operation and a second supply path to supply a second electrical bias to the transfer roller during a cleaning operation.

Abstract: An imaging system includes a steering roller and a positioning mechanism. The steering roller extends along a longitudinal direction, and being tiltable about a fulcrum to adjust an alignment position of an endless belt. The positioning mechanism is coupled to the steering roller, to position an adjustable position of the fulcrum of the steering roller, along the longitudinal direction of the steering roller. The positioning mechanism includes a guide that extends along the longitudinal direction of the steering roller, and a protrusion that engages with the guide, and that is located at the adjustable position of the fulcrum.

Abstract: An imaging system includes an endless belt which includes a first surface and a second surface and a steering assembly which is tiltable to adjust a position of the endless belt. The steering assembly includes a first member that is adjacent to the first surface of the endless belt and a second member that is adjacent to the second surface of the endless belt, to press the endless belt against the first member.

Abstract: An imaging system includes an endless belt, a tensioning system that applies tension to the endless belt, a contact member that engages with the endless belt, and a detector that detects slack at a part of the endless belt. A controller causes the contact member to be separated from the endless belt so that the tensioning system reduces the slack of the endless belt in response to the detector detecting the slack.

Abstract: An imaging system includes a pair of belt rollers, a steering roller, a wheel, and a link mechanism. The pair of belt rollers includes a first roller and a second roller to drive an endless belt along a belt path. The steering roller is between the first roller and the second roller. The steering roller is tiltable to engage the endless belt. The wheel is at an end of the first roller in abutment with an edge of the endless belt, to move in an outward direction along a rotation axis of the first roller, when the endless belt shifts away from the belt path toward the wheel. The link mechanism is between the wheel and the steering roller to tilt the steering roller in response to a sliding movement of the wheel in the outward direction, to urge the endless belt to shift toward the belt path.

Abstract: A belt driving device to drive an endless belt, includes a drive roller and a suspension roller which extend in a first direction and face each other in a second direction. The belt driving device includes a steering roller located between the drive roller and the suspension roller in a tiltable manner. A pulley (or wheel) is located at an end portion of the steering roller. The belt driving device includes a link mechanism which presses the end portion of the steering roller to tilt the steering roller with the movement of the pulley (or wheel).

Abstract: This region registration system is provided with a positioning antenna, a position acquisition unit, a reference-point specification unit, a direction specification unit, a candidate-point registration unit, and a region registration unit, and acquires an antenna position as a measurement point. The reference-point specification unit specifies a corner antenna reference point. The direction specification unit specifies a turning direction of a rice seedling transplanter that has passed the corner antenna reference point. The candidate-point registration unit biases the corner antenna reference point to a position forward of the rice seedling transplanter at the time of measuring said corner antenna reference point, and at the same time, registers, as a corner candidate point, a position biased toward either side in the width direction of said rice seedling transplanter in accordance with the turning direction specified by the direction specification unit.

Abstract: An imaging system includes a steering roller and a positioning mechanism. The steering roller extends along a longitudinal direction, and being tiltable about a fulcrum to adjust an alignment position of an endless belt. The positioning mechanism is coupled to the steering roller, to position an adjustable position of the fulcrum of the steering roller, along the longitudinal direction of the steering roller. The positioning mechanism includes a guide that extends along the longitudinal direction of the steering roller, and a protrusion that engages with the guide, and that is located at the adjustable position of the fulcrum.

Abstract: An imaging system includes: a steering roller located between a first belt roller and a second belt roller, that is inclinable around a fulcrum; and a sensor to detect an amount of displacement of the steering roller due to an inclination of the steering roller. A controller may output a command signal when the amount of displacement of the steering roller exceeds a reference value.

Abstract: A hollow fiber membrane module includes: a hollow fiber membrane bundle; a housing formed with a port for allowing a cleaning gas for the hollow fiber membrane bundle to inflow therethrough for accommodating the hollow fiber membrane bundle; and a diffuser having a receiving surface for receiving the cleaning gas having entered through the port, the receiving surface being formed with diffusion hole for diffusing the cleaning gas to the hollow fiber membrane bundle in housing. The diffuser includes a partition dividing a space under the receiving surface into an inner space and an outer space surrounding the inner space and permitting the cleaning gas having entered through the port to flow thereinto. The diffusion hole is arranged to allow at least a part of the cleaning gas flowing in the outer space to diffuse from the inner space to the hollow fiber membrane bundle.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a rotatable cylindrical component to be cleaned, and a bar brush having a base substrate and bristles. The base substrate of the bar brush is located at a fixed position relative to the component to be cleaned. The bristles extend from the base substrate to contact the component to be cleaned. The bristles have free ends that form a tip end surface of the bar brush. The tip end surface has a curved shape that conforms with a surface of the component, when the bristles are not in contact with the surface to be cleaned.

Abstract: An imaging system comprises a pair of belt rollers to drive an endless belt along a belt path, the pair of belt rollers comprising a first roller and a second roller. A steering roller is located between the first roller and the second roller. The steering roller is tiltable to engage the endless belt. A wheel is located at an end of the first roller in abutment with an edge of the endless belt, to move along a rotation axis of the first roller, in an outward direction, when the endless belt shifts toward the wheel. A link mechanism transfers a movement of the wheel in the outward direction, to a tilting of the steering roller, in order to urge the endless belt to shift away from the wheel toward the belt path.

Abstract: An imaging system includes a pair of belt rollers, a steering roller, a wheel, and a link mechanism. The pair of belt rollers includes a first roller and a second roller to drive an endless belt along a belt path. The steering roller is between the first roller and the second roller. The steering roller is tiltable to engage the endless belt. The wheel is at an end of the first roller in abutment with an edge of the endless belt, to move in an outward direction along a rotation axis of the first roller, when the endless belt shifts away from the belt path toward the wheel. The link mechanism is between the wheel and the steering roller to tilt the steering roller in response to a sliding movement of the wheel in the outward direction, to urge the endless belt to shift toward the belt path.

Abstract: A belt driving device to drive an endless belt, includes a drive roller and a suspension roller which extend in a first direction and face each other in a second direction. The belt driving device includes a steering roller located between the drive roller and the suspension roller in a tiltable manner. A pulley (or wheel) is located at an end portion of the steering roller. The belt driving device includes a link mechanism which presses the end portion of the steering roller to tilt the steering roller with the movement of the pulley (or wheel).

Abstract: A hard carbon film that forms a sliding surface of a sliding member, wherein the hard carbon film includes terminal atoms that bond to carbon atoms and has a plurality of protruding shaped parts, part of which protrude from the surface thereof, with the periphery of each of the plurality of protruding shaped parts being terminated by a terminal atom. A manufacturing method for the hard carbon film for producing the hard carbon film on a sliding surface of the sliding member using arc vapor deposition having graphite as the vaporization source, wherein a gas containing the terminal atoms that bond to carbon atoms is introduced, and the plurality of protruding shaped parts is grown on the surface of the hard carbon film while terminating the periphery of the plurality of protruding shaped parts by bonding of the terminal atoms to carbon atoms.

Abstract: An imaging system comprises a pair of belt rollers to drive an endless belt along a belt path, the pair of belt rollers comprising a first roller and a second roller. A steering roller is located between the first roller and the second roller. The steering roller is tiltable to engage the endless belt. A wheel is located at an end of the first roller in abutment with an edge of the endless belt, to move along a rotation axis of the first roller, in an outward direction, when the endless belt shifts toward the wheel. A link mechanism transfers a movement of the wheel in the outward direction, to a tilting of the steering roller, in order to urge the endless belt to shift away from the wheel toward the belt path.

Abstract: A piston ring in which carbon films with film qualities optimized to be adapted to required performance are formed on an outer circumferential sliding surface and top and bottom surfaces thereof with good productivity is provided, and a high-performance engine which employs the piston ring is also provided. In the piston ring, a carbon film is formed on an outer circumferential sliding surface and top and bottom surfaces. The carbon film contains a stacking of at least two types of carbon film layers with different film qualities, and a thickness ratio of the two types of carbon film layers is different between the outer circumferential sliding surface and the top and bottom surfaces.

Abstract: A treatment tool for an endoscope of the present invention includes a sheath, a balloon provided at the sheath and configured to be expandable to an inflated state from a reduced diameter state by injecting a fluid, a shaft member inserted through an inside of the balloon and configured to extend along a longitudinal axis of the sheath from a distal end of the balloon to a proximal end thereof, and an adhering portion provided on a side of an inner surface of a central portion of the balloon in a direction of the longitudinal axis, formed of an adhering material applied or adhered to the shaft member and configured to hold the central portion in a state in which the central portion is reduced in diameter.

Abstract: Provided is a piston ring having excellent low-friction properties and abrasion resistance manufactured without the need for precision control using an ordinary film formation device that does not have a special function.