Abstract: An air-bag 12 is designed to vertically expand after transversely expanding while being inflated. The air-bag 12 having a substantially circular shape is folded from its opposite ends toward its middle along a direction “a” corresponding to vertical direction and rolled in an opposite direction, is then folded in a zigzag manner one fold over another from its opposite ends toward its middle along a direction “b” (transverse direction), and is accommodated in a container casing 14. Accordingly, the inventive air-bag device and air-bag folding method can suppress an inflation (expansion) of the air-bag toward a passenger at an early stage of the inflation of the air-bag, promote a transverse expansion more than a vertical expansion of the air-bag at the early stage of the inflation, and prevent a blow out of a gas toward the passenger.

Abstract: A thermoelectric module comprising an N-type thermoelectric element having excellent characteristics in atmospheric air even when the temperature rises to a medium-to-high temperature region of about 500° C.

Abstract: The present invention provides a surface treatment apparatus which can treat a surface with high speed and high quality. A casing of a surface treatment apparatus is defined into two chambers, a plasma generation chamber provided with a plasma generation electrode and a substrate treatment chamber provided with a substrate support table. A plasma nozzle is formed on an anode electrode constituting a partition wall of the both chambers. A recess is formed on an upper cathode electrode. Further, the plasma nozzle is used as a hollow anode discharge generation area, and the recess as a hollow cathode discharge generation area.

Abstract: An etching apparatus for etching a printed circuit board includes a transport mechanism for horizontally transporting a printed circuit board in a transporting direction so that a height of the printed circuit board during etching is kept at a transport position, a plurality of upper spray nozzles for injecting an etchant to a top surface of the printed circuit board transported by the transport mechanism, and a plurality of lower spray nozzles for injecting an etchant to a bottom surface of the printed circuit board. In the etching apparatus, a flow rate of the etchant injected to the top surface of the printed circuit board is made greater than a flow rate of the etchant injected to the bottom surface of the printed circuit board by an arrangement of the upper spray nozzles and the lower spray nozzles.

Abstract: A solid state image sensing device having a semiconductor substrate, a first diffusion region of a positive or negative conductive type provided on the semiconductor substrate, a plurality of second diffusion regions each of which is an opposite conductive type relative to the first diffusion region and is provided in the first diffusion region, and a semiconductor thin layer provided on at least the second diffusion regions.

Abstract: A solid state image sensing device having a semiconductor substrate, a first diffusion region of a positive or negative conductive type provided on the semiconductor substrate, a plurality of second diffusion regions each of which is an opposite conductive type relative to the first diffusion region and is provided in the first diffusion region, and a semiconductor thin layer provided on at least the second diffusion regions.

Abstract: A novel and very efficient method is disclosed for the introduction of perfluoroalkyl groups into an organopolysiloxane by utilizing the hydrosilation reaction with an organohydrogenpolysiloxane. Different from the conventional but inefficient hydrosilation reaction using a perfluoroalkyl-substituted ethylene as the olefin compound, the inventive method utilizes a propene-1 3-substituted by a perfluoroalkyl group compound as the olefin compound to react with an organohydrogenpolysiloxane by which a very high efficiency in the hydrosilation reaction can be obtained without side reactions which otherwise greatly decrease the yield of the desired perfluoroalkyl-containing organopolysiloxane product.

Abstract: An organosilicon compound represented by the general formula: ##STR1## wherein Rf represents a perfluoroalkyl group or a perfluoroalkyl ether group; R.sup.1 may be the same or different and each represent a monovalent hydrocarbon group; R.sup.2 represents an alkylene group; R.sup.3 represents a hydrogen atom or a monovalent hydrocarbon group; and a is an integer of 1 to 4, b is an integer of 1 to 3 and c is an integer of 0 to 3, provided that a, b and c satisfy the relationship of 3.ltoreq.a+b+c.ltoreq.6; is provided. These organosilicon compounds are novel compounds useful as crosslinking agents for addition-curable silicone rubber compositions.

Abstract: A stable and highly productive method for the preparation of silicone foam having uniform cells characterized by mixing the base and curing agent portions of an organosiloxane, along with a gas-containing hollow filler in a mixing device having a shear-stirring mechanism such that the organosiloxane begins to foam and cure when the shear-stirring mechanism is used to rupture the filler and mix the base and curing agent portions.

Abstract: A straight-chain organopolysiloxane represented by the general formula: ##STR1## wherein R.sup.1 represents a monovalent hydrocarbon group, R.sup.2 represents a bivalent organic group, Rf represents a perfluoroalkyl ether group or a perfluoroalkyl group, X represents a hydrogen atom or an organosilyl group, and n is an integer of 15 to 4,000 and having a content of cyclic polysiloxanes with a molecular weight of 3,000 or below of 50 ppm or below. This organopolysiloxane is novel in that the content of cyclic siloxanes with a molecular weight of 3,000 or below is only 50 ppm or below and the organopolysiloxane can obviate contact failure due to volatilization of components or surrounding contamination due to bleeding when used as materials in the field of electricity and electronics or as building materials.

Abstract: In an image sensing device, a photodiode is connected to a drain of a MOS transistor. The drain is connected to a gate of the MOS transistor via a resistor. The MOS transistor operates in a subthreshold region to output a signal being logarithmically proportional to the intensity of incident light to the photodiode.

Abstract: In a heat sensitive recording material comprising a substrate and a heat sensitive recording layer thereon containing a colorless or light-colored basic dye and a color acceptor which is reactive with the dye to form a color when contacted therewith, the recording material characterized in that an emulsion containing complex particles of colloidal silica and at least one of acrylic polymer and styrene-acrylic polymer is added to a coating composition for the recording layer and/or a coating composition for a protective layer formed on the recording layer.