Abstract: An image-forming apparatus is provided which includes a document reading section for reading image information from a document, and an image-forming section for forming an image on a sheet of paper based upon the image information of the document read by the document reading section. A space section is formed below the document reading section, which accommodates the image-forming section and serves as a discharge section to which the sheet of paper bearing the image formed in the image-forming section is discharged. The space section is surrounded by peripheral walls of an apparatus main body including the image-forming section. The image-forming apparatus further includes a paper post-treatment section that subjects the sheet of paper bearing the image to post-treatments, such as an adjustment process and a stapling process, in a virtually horizontal state, and that is placed between the document reading section and the space section.

Abstract: An apparatus for unlocking a door lock for a vehicle, comprising a plurality of door locks for being mounted on doors of the vehicle, a collision direction detecting device for detecting a direction of an impact applied to a vehicle; and an unlocking mechanism for unlocking a door lock located on a side opposite to a collision side based on the direction detected by the collision direction detecting device.

Abstract: A dielectric detecting system comprises: an earth electrode; a sensor electrode opposed to the earth electrode for constituting a first condenser therebetween whose electric capacitance varies in dependence on an existence of the dielectric; a medium electrode positioned between the earth electrode and the sensor electrode for constituting a second condenser between the medium electrode and the earth electrode and a third condenser between the medium electrode and the sensor electrode in such a manner that one of an electric capacitance of the second condenser and an electric capacitance of the third condenser serves for detecting an other dielectric; and an operational amplifier for equalizing electric potential of the medium electrode to that of the sensor electrode.

Abstract: A dielectric detecting device includes an earth electrode and a sensor electrode opposed to the earth electrode which constitute a capacitor whose capacitance is varied with an existence of a dielectric object therebetween. A detecting device is provided for detecting a change in the capacitance of the capacitor and a capacitance of a circuit in the dielectric detecting device. The detecting device includes an input signal processing device disposed between an output side of the detecting device and an input side of the sensor electrode, a switching device disposed between the input signal processing device and the sensor electrode, and a judging device for judging whether the dielectric object exists or not on the basis of an output of the detecting device and judging whether an error has occurred at one or more of the earth electrode, the sensor electrode, the detecting device and input signal processing device on the basis of capacitances when the switching device is in its on and off conditions.