Abstract: A laminated ceramic capacitor includes a rectangular solid-shaped electronic component element. External electrodes of terminal electrodes are disposed at one end surface and the other end surface of the electronic component element. First plated films including a Ni plating are disposed on the surfaces of external electrodes. On the surfaces of the first plated films, second plated films containing Sn are disposed as Sn-plated films defining outermost layers of the external electrodes. The second plated films have a polycrystalline structure, and flake-shaped Sn—Ni alloy grains are located at a Sn crystal grain boundary and within a Sn crystal grain, respectively.

Abstract: A method for manufacturing a laminated ceramic electronic component enables formation of a plating film as at least a portion of an external electrode which connects exposed ends of internal electrodes. A component main body including a plurality of ceramic layers and a plurality of internal electrodes partially exposed from the component main body is prepared such that the component main body has a conductive region formed by diffusion of a conductive component included in the internal electrodes at the end surfaces of the ceramic layers located between adjacent exposed ends of the plurality of internal electrodes. The ceramic layers are preferably composed of a glass ceramic containing a glass component of about 10 weight % or more. A plating film is formed directly on the component main body by growing the exposed ends of the internal electrodes and the conductive region as nucleuses for plating deposition.

Abstract: A power generator has a battery and an alternator driven by an engine. The battery assists a power energy of the alternator. An inverter circuit is connected to an output of a rectifying circuit. A DC/DC converter boosts a voltage of the battery and inputs the boosted voltage into a constant power regulator. The constant power regulator boosts an input voltage and secures a certain power. An output voltage of the rectifying circuit is monitored by a monitoring means and an output voltage of the battery is monitored by a monitoring means. When the output voltage of the rectifying circuit is equal to or less than a rated voltage, an auxiliary power value corresponding to the remaining amount of the battery is set as a power target value of the constant power regulator.

Abstract: In a method for manufacturing a laminated ceramic electronic component, when a plating film to define an external terminal electrode is formed by plating exposed ends of a plurality of internal electrodes at a WT surface of a component main body, ingress of a plating solution may be caused from a gap between an end edge of the plating film and the component main body to decrease the reliability of a laminated electronic component obtained. An internal dummy electrode is provided around a region where the exposed ends of the plurality of internal electrodes are distributed in the WT surface of the component main body. The internal dummy electrode includes two LW-direction sections extending parallel or substantially parallel to each other in a direction along the LW surface, and two LT-direction sections extending parallel or substantially parallel to each other in a direction along the LT surface. The plating film is formed at least over the exposed end of the internal dummy electrode.

Abstract: A method for manufacturing a laminated ceramic capacitor includes a step of preparing a laminate which has a first principal surface, a second principal surface, a first end surface, a second end surface, a first side surface, and a second side surface and which includes insulating layers and internal electrodes having end portions exposed at the first or second end surface; a step of forming external electrodes on the first and second end surfaces such that plating deposits are formed on the exposed end portions of the internal electrodes so as to be connected to each other; and a step of forming thick end electrodes electrically connected to the external electrodes such that a conductive paste is applied onto edge portions of the first and second principal surfaces and first and second side surfaces of the laminate and then baked.

Abstract: An electronic component that is prevented from being inclined with respect to a circuit board during and after mounting includes a laminated body that is preferably configured by stacking a plurality of insulator layers, and includes a lower surface with depressions provided thereon. The lower surface includes a series of outer edges of the insulator layers. Capacitor electrodes are defined by internal conductors incorporated in the laminated body, which respectively have exposed sections that are exposed from between the insulator layers in the depressions on the lower surface. External electrodes, which are preferably formed directly by plating, are provided in the depressions to cover the exposed sections.

Abstract: A power generator starts an engine by overcoming an inrush current occurs. A calculator (21) retrieves an outputtable current of a generator according to an engine speed. A calculator (23) calculates the lacking amount of the outputtable current relative to a load current. When the remaining battery level is sufficient, a DC/DC converter controller (24) supplies a current corresponding to the lacking amount from the battery (4) to a DC part (52). If the battery (4) starts supplying a power, FETs (Qa to Qf) of a rectifying part (51) are powered off and an output of the power generator (3) is stopped. When an engine frequency stability deciding part (27) decides the engine frequency is stable the rectifying part (51) restarts the output of the generator (3) and the current supply from the battery (4) to the DC part (52) is stopped.

Abstract: A method for manufacturing a laminated electronic component includes the steps of preparing a laminated component main body, the component main body including internal electrodes formed therein, and each of the internal electrodes being partially exposed on an external surface of the component main body, and forming an external terminal electrode on the external surface of the component main body such that the external terminal electrode is electrically connected to the internal electrodes. The step of forming the external terminal electrode includes the steps of forming a metal layer on exposed surfaces of the internal electrodes, applying a water repellant on a surface of the metal layer and a section of the external surface of the component main body at which an end edge of the metal layer is located, and then forming a conductive resin layer on the metal layer having the water repellant applied thereon.

Abstract: In a laminate type ceramic electronic component, when an external electrode for a laminated ceramic capacitor is formed directly by plating onto a surface of a component main body, the film that is directly plated may have a low fixing strength with respect to the component main body. As the external electrode, a first plating layer composed of a Ni—P plating film with a P content rate of about 9 weight % or more is first formed such that a plating deposition deposited with the exposed ends of respective internal electrodes as starting points is grown on at least an end surface of a component main body. Then, a second plating layer composed of a Ni plating film containing substantially no P is formed on the first plating layer. Preferably, the first plating layer is formed by electroless plating, whereas the second plating layer is formed by electrolytic plating.

Abstract: In a method for manufacturing a laminated ceramic electronic component, after a plating layer for an external terminal electrode is formed by applying copper plating to an end surface of a component main body at which respective ends of a plurality of internal electrodes primarily including nickel are exposed, when a heat treatment at a temperature of about 800° C. or more is applied in order to improve adhesion strength and resistance to moisture of the external terminal electrode, voids may occur in the plating layer. The step of applying a heat treatment at a temperature of about 800° C. or more to a component main body with plating layers formed thereon includes not only a step of maintaining a top temperature of about 1000° C. or more but also a step of maintaining a temperature of about 600° C. to 900° C. at least once before the step of maintaining the top temperature.

Abstract: An electronic component includes a laminate including a plurality of insulating layers that are laminated on each other. A capacitor conductor is embedded in the laminate and includes an exposed portion exposed between the insulating layers at a predetermined surface of the laminate. An external electrode is provided on the predetermined surface by direct plating so as to cover the exposed portion. An outer edge of the external electrode is spaced away from the exposed portion by about 0.8 ?m or more.

Abstract: Data encoded by replacing each of a plurality of characters with bit strings is received. On the basis of definition information, at least one of the characters is recorded as corresponding to each of the bit lengths, and decode information is generated based on the number of characters, wherein the decode information includes bit string information for sorting the bit strings in a bit length order that is a predetermined order associated with bit lengths. In response to receiving a particular bit length, character information in which the characters are sorted in the bit length order is generated by inserting a character corresponding to the particular bit length into a position corresponding to the particular bit length in an array in which at least one of the bit lengths.

Abstract: A monolithic electronic component includes a laminate including a plurality of stacked insulating layers and a plurality of internal electrodes which extend between the insulating layers and which have end portions exposed at predetermined surfaces of the laminate, first plating layers disposed on the predetermined surfaces of the laminate, and second plating layers disposed on the first plating layer. The first plating layers are made of a metal different from that used to make the internal electrodes. The first plating layers are formed by electroless plating. The second plating layers are formed by electroplating.

Abstract: In an air bag main body which inflates step by step in a first stage and a second stage by bonding its peripheral edge portion and bonding its inner side than the peripheral edge portion, a connecting member bridging between a lid member opening and closing a vent hole and a coupling member can be always set to a tension state by arranging an adjusting portion in the coupling member which defining a maximum facing distance between a front panel and a rear panel in the tension state in each of the first stage and the second stage, and whereby a closed state of the vent hole can be maintained.

Abstract: A laminated electronic component includes a first plating film that defines a base for external terminal electrodes and that includes a plurality of layers including a first layer made of, for example, copper and a second layer provided on the first layer. The total thickness of the first plating film is about 3 ?m to about 15 ?m, and the thickness of the second layer is about 2 to 10 times as thick as the thickness of the first layer. The first layer is formed by electroless plating, and the second layer is formed by electrolytic plating. This formation results in a grain size of about 0.5 ?m or more of a metal grain included in the second layer, and thus makes the film less susceptible to oxidation.

Abstract: In a method of forming an external electrode by growing plated depositions on exposed ends of a plurality of internal electrodes in a component main body, the component main body is polished to increase exposure of the internal electrodes. To prevent decreased external electrode fixing strength, a radius of curvature is reduced to about 0.01 mm or less for an R chamfered section formed in a ridge section of the component main body during polishing by ion milling, and exposed ends of the internal electrodes are recessed from end surfaces of the component main body with a recess length of about 1 ?m or less. Plating films to serve as external electrodes are formed to extend from the end surfaces of the component main body across the R chamfered section, and include end edges located on at least one of the principal surfaces and the side surfaces.

Abstract: In a method of manufacturing a laminate type electronic component, when a heat treatment is carried out after plating films, which at least partially define external electrodes, are formed by growing plated depositions deposited on exposed ends of a plurality of internal electrodes in a component main body, the presence of the plating films may not only interfere with moisture release, but may also cause blisters or bulge defects in the plating films, while moisture such as a plating solution in the component main body is removed by evaporation. To avoid such problems, cuts to divide exposed ends into multiple sections are formed in extending sections of internal electrodes. Thus, plating films include slits extending in the stacking direction at locations corresponding to positions of the cuts.

Abstract: In a laminate type ceramic electronic component, when an external electrode is formed directly by plating onto a surface of a component main body, the plating film that is to serve as the external electrode may have a low fixing strength with respect to the component main body. In order to prevent this problem, an external electrode includes a first plating layer composed of a Ni—B plating film and is first formed such that a plating deposition deposited with the exposed ends of respective internal electrodes as starting points is grown on at least an end surface of a component main body. Then, a second plating layer composed of a Ni plating film containing substantially no B is formed on the first plating layer. Preferably, the B content of the Ni—B plating film constituting the first plating layer is about 0.1 wt % to about 6 wt %.

Abstract: A method for manufacturing a laminated electronic component including an electronic component main body including laminated functional layers, internal conductors which are disposed inside the electronic component main body and a portion of which are exposed portions exposed at outer surfaces of the electronic component main body, and external terminal electrodes disposed on the outer surfaces of the electronic component main body so as to connect to the internal conductors and cover the exposed portions of the internal conductors includes the step of forming a substrate plating film having an average particle diameter of metal particles of at least about 1.0 ?m on the outer surface of the electronic component main body through direct plating so as to cover the exposed portions of the internal conductors in the formation of the external terminal electrodes on the electronic component main body.

Abstract: A laminate includes ceramic layers laminated to each other. Internal conductors are embedded in the laminate and include exposed portions that are exposed between the ceramic layers at a lower surface and an upper surface of the laminate. External electrodes are directly plated on the lower surface and the upper surface so as to cover the respective exposed portions. Regions of the lower surface at which the exposed portions are provided are arranged to protrude from the other regions of the lower surface, and regions of the upper surface at which the exposed portions are provided are arranged to protrude from the other regions of the upper surface.