Abstract: A sheet feeding apparatus is provided with a pick-up roller that contacts sheets loaded on a load tray to pick up, a paper feed roller that feeds a picked-up sheet, and a separation roller brought into press-contact with the paper feed roller to separate the sheet, where the sheets are separated from the pick-up roller, the separation roller is rotated in a sheet return direction different from a sheet feed direction, and subsequently, the paper feed roller is separated from the separation roller. It is possible to prevent damage to a sheet and sheet jam from occurring in pulling out the load tray loaded with sheets to the front side.

Abstract: A control device for an engine includes an angular velocity detecting unit that detects the angular velocity of a rotating shaft which is driven according to an output of an engine, an angular acceleration calculating unit that calculates angular acceleration based on the angular velocity detected by the angular velocity detecting unit, a heat generation timing calculating unit that calculates a certain timing when the ratio of an amount of heat generation in a cylinder to the total amount of heat generation of one cycle falls in a predetermined range, based on a change of the angular acceleration calculated by the angular acceleration calculating unit, and a combustion control unit that controls combustion in the cylinder by comparison between the certain timing calculated by the heat generation timing calculating unit and a predetermined heat generation timing reference value.

Abstract: A sheet feeding apparatus is provided with a pick-up roller that contacts sheets loaded on a load tray to pick up, a paper feed roller that feeds a picked-up sheet, and a separation roller brought into press-contact with the paper feed roller to separate the sheet, where the sheets are separated from the pick-up roller, the separation roller is rotated in a sheet return direction different from a sheet feed direction, and subsequently, the paper feed roller is separated from the separation roller. It is possible to prevent damage to a sheet and sheet jam from occurring in pulling out the load tray loaded with sheets to the front side.

Abstract: A control device for an engine includes an angular velocity detecting unit that detects the angular velocity of a rotating shaft which is driven according to an output of an engine, an angular acceleration calculating unit that calculates angular acceleration based on the angular velocity detected by the angular velocity detecting unit, a heat generation timing calculating unit that calculates a certain timing when the ratio of an amount of heat generation in a cylinder to the total amount of heat generation of one cycle falls in a predetermined range, based on a change of the angular acceleration calculated by the angular acceleration calculating unit, and a combustion control unit that controls combustion in the cylinder by comparison between the certain timing calculated by the heat generation timing calculating unit and a predetermined heat generation timing reference value.

Abstract: There is provided a lightning-resistant fastener that can secure sufficient lightning-resistance performance at low cost and realize efficiency of field work and improvement of reliability. An insulating coat film 40 is formed in a region opposed to a structural member 22 in a shaft section 25c of a fastener main body 25 and an insulating layer is interposed between the structural member 22 and the shaft section 25c of the fastener main body 25, whereby an electric current is fed along a head section 25b side of the fastener main body 25 and a wing panel 21 when lightning occurs. This suppresses the electric current from flowing to the front end portion side of the fastener main body 25, i.e., the interior side of a wing 20 and prevents arc discharge from occurring inside the wing 20.

Abstract: There is provided a lightning-resistant fastener that can secure sufficient lightning-resistance performance at low cost and realize efficiency of field work and improvement of reliability. An insulating coat film 40 is formed in a region opposed to a structural member 22 in a shaft section 25c of a fastener main body 25 and an insulating layer is interposed between the structural member 22 and the shaft section 25c of the fastener main body 25, whereby an electric current is fed along a head section 25b side of the fastener main body 25 and a wing panel 21 when lightning occurs. This suppresses the electric current from flowing to the front end portion side of the fastener main body 25, i.e., the interior side of a wing 20 and prevents arc discharge from occurring inside the wing 20.

Abstract: A light scattering film having the structure which guides electrical signal to a desired position and scatters incident light and the surface of which is substantially flat, and a photoelectric device using the same. The light scattering film includes a medium made of transparent conductive material and a light scatterer embedded in the medium. The light scattering film realizes conductivity and the light-scattering characteristic by single component. It is not necessary to make the texture of a surface with concavity and convexity deliberately to achieve the light-scattering characteristic. Desirably, the surface is substantially flat. When a semiconductor layer is formed on the surface, the defects are suppressed because of the flatness of the surface. The photoelectric device having the light scattering film and the semiconductor device on the surface of the film can achieve high photoelectric conversion efficiency.

Abstract: A method of manufacturing a cam for a camshaft, comprising the steps of continuously applying, to a billet having a volume larger by a specified volume than a final product, a plurality of cold forging steps formed of a preliminary outline upsetting, an outline drawing, a simultaneous piercing of inner and outer diameter surfaces, a press-molding forming excess amount as burrs on the inner diameter surface, a piercing of the inner diameter surface for removing the burrs from the inner diameter surface, and a simultaneous ironing of the inner and outer diameter surfaces. The final finishing (machining) of a cam (profile) surface can be eliminated, and the final product of the cam for the camshaft having a high dimensional accuracy can be provided.

Abstract: A method of manufacturing a cam for a camshaft, comprising the steps of continuously applying, to a billet having a volume larger by a specified volume than a final product, a plurality of cold forging steps formed of a preliminary outline upsetting, an outline drawing, a simultaneous piercing of inner and outer diameter surfaces, a press-molding forming excess amount as burrs on the inner diameter surface, a piercing of the inner diameter surface for removing the burrs from the inner diameter surface, and a simultaneous ironing of the inner and outer diameter surfaces. The final finishing (machining) of a cam (profile) surface can be eliminated, and the final product of the cam for the camshaft having a high dimensional accuracy can be provided.

Abstract: A light scattering film having the structure which guides electrical signal to a desired position and scatters incident light and the surface of which is substantially flat, and a photoelectric device using the same. The light scattering film includes a medium made of transparent conductive material and a light scatterer embedded in the medium. The light scattering film realizes conductivity and the light-scattering characteristic by single component. It is not necessary to make the texture of a surface with concavity and convexity deliberately to achieve the light-scattering characteristic. Desirably, the surface is substantially flat. When a semiconductor layer is formed on the surface, the defects are suppressed because of the flatness of the surface. The photoelectric device having the light scattering film and the semiconductor device on the surface of the film can achieve high photoelectric conversion efficiency.

Abstract: A photoelectric conversion device is composed of a substrate, a lower electrode layer formed to cover the substrate, and a first semiconductor layer formed on the lower electrode. The lower electrode layer includes a first matrix formed of transparent conductive material, and light scattering granules embedded within the first matrix.

Abstract: A cam gear is formed from a resinous material containing 100 parts by weight of polyamide and 5 to 20 parts by weight of modified polyolefin.

Abstract: An engine breather system is formed from a first breather chamber communicating with a crank chamber formed within a crankcase, a second breather chamber communicating with the crank chamber as well as with an intake system, a communicating passage connecting the first and second breather chambers, and a one-way valve. The valve is provided at an open end on the second breather chamber side of the communicating passage, so as to prevent breather gas from flowing from the second breather chamber toward the first breather chamber. The one-way valve is provided with a pressure relief hole, which prevents oil from leaking into the intake system accompanying continued operation of the engine in an attitude different from its normal attitude.

Abstract: An engine breather system is formed from a first breather chamber communicating with a crank chamber formed within a crankcase, a second breather chamber communicating with the crank chamber as well as with an intake system, a communicating passage connecting the first and second breather chambers, and a one-way valve. The valve is provided at an open end on the second breather chamber side of the communicating passage, so as to prevent breather gas from flowing from the second breather chamber toward the first breather chamber. The one-way valve is provided with a pressure relief hole, which prevents oil from leaking into the intake system accompanying continued operation of the engine in an attitude different from its normal attitude.

Abstract: A discharge plasma generating method includes (a) opposing a discharge electrode having a substantially plane discharge portion to a substrate to be processed in a vacuum reaction vessel such that the discharge electrode and the substrate are substantially parallel to each other, (b) evacuating the vacuum reaction vessel and supplying a process gas to a space between the discharge electrode and the substrate, and (c) applying HF power to the discharge electrode such that an envelope representing the spatial distribution of a HF voltage &phgr; on the discharge electrode in a split second changes in accordance with a function including time as a parameter, thereby generating a discharge plasma of the process gas between the discharge electrode and the substrate, with substantially no standing wave of the HF voltage &phgr; generated on the discharge electrode.

Abstract: A discharge electrode improves the uniformity of discharge such as plasma. The electrical discharge electrode, which receives high-frequency power and produces a discharge, comprises an electrode body adapted to receive high-frequency power, and a member for preventing the reflection of high-frequency power from the electrode body. The electrical discharge may comprise plasma generated by an electrical discharge.

Abstract: A plurality of electrode bars are arranged in parallel with each other, and side electrode bars are connected to the corresponding opposite ends of the electrode bars, thereby forming a ladder-like RF discharge electrode. Power supply points are arranged axisymmetrically with respect to a reference line, which is a bisector which bisects one side of the RF discharge electrode, while being spaced a predetermined distance from the reference line, thereby suppressing voltage distribution on the ladder electrode, which has an effect on uniformity of discharge distribution, to a sufficiently low level of nonuniformity. Thus, uniform distribution of film deposition rate can be obtained, thereby enabling uniform deposition even in large-area applications.

Abstract: A discharge plasma generating method includes (a) opposing a discharge electrode having a substantially plane discharge portion to a substrate to be processed in a vacuum reaction vessel such that the discharge electrode and the substrate are substantially parallel to each other, (b) evacuating the vacuum reaction vessel and supplying a process gas to a space between the discharge electrode and the substrate, and (c) applying HF power to the discharge electrode such that an envelope representing the spatial distribution of a HF voltage &phgr; on the discharge electrode in a split second changes in accordance with a function including time as a parameter, thereby generating a discharge plasma of the process gas between the discharge electrode and the substrate, with substantially no standing wave of the HF voltage &phgr; generated on the discharge electrode.