Abstract: A photosensitive layer of an electrophotographic photosensitive member is a single layer and contains a charge generating material, a hole transport material, a first electron transport material, a second electron transport material, and a binder resin. The binder resin includes a polyarylate resin. The polyarylate resin includes repeating units (1), (2), (3), and (4). A percentage of the number of repeats of the repeating unit (3) relative to the total of the number of repeats of the repeating units (1) and the number of repeats of the repeating unit (3) is greater than 0% and less than 20%. The first electron transport material includes a compound represented by formula (A15) or (A16).

Abstract: A single-layer photosensitive layer included in an electrophotographic photosensitive member contains a charge generating material, a hole transport material, an electron transport material, and a binder resin. The binder resin includes a polyarylate resin. The polyarylate resin includes repeating units (1), (2), (3), and (4). The percentage of the number of repeats of the repeating unit (3) relative to the total of the number of repeats of the repeating unit (1) and the number of repeats of the repeating unit (3) is greater than 0% and less than 20%. The hole transport material has one nitrogen atom.

Abstract: A single-layer photosensitive layer included in an electrophotographic photosensitive member contains a charge generating material, a hole transport material, an electron transport material, and a binder resin. The binder resin includes a polyarylate resin. The polyarylate resin includes repeating units represented by formulas (1), (2), (3), and (4). The percentage of the number of repeats of the repeating unit represented by formula (3) relative to a total of the number of repeats of the repeating unit represented by formula (1) and the number of repeats of the repeating unit represented by formula (3) is greater than 0% and less than 20%.

Abstract: An electrophotographic photosensitive member includes a conductive substrate and a photosensitive layer. The photosensitive layer is a single layer and contains a charge generating material, a hole transport material, an electron transport material, and a polyarylate resin. The polyarylate resin includes repeating units represented by formulas (1), (2), and (3). A ratio n1/n2 of the number n1 of repeats of the repeating unit represented by formula (1) to the number n2 of repeats of the repeating unit represented by formula (2) is at least 1.0.

Abstract: A positively chargeable single-layer electrophotographic photosensitive member includes a conductive substrate and a photosensitive layer. The photosensitive layer contains at least a charge generating material, a hole transport material, an electron transport material, and an electron accepting compound. The hole transport material includes a benzidine derivative. The electron transport material includes at least one compound selected from the group consisting of compounds represented by general formulae (1), (2), (3), and (4) shown below. The electron accepting compound includes at least one compound selected from the group consisting of compounds represented by general formulae (5) and (6) shown below.

Abstract: A photosensitive layer in a multilayer electrophotographic photoconductor includes a charge-generation layer including a charge-generating material having, as a major component, a titanyl phthalocyanine crystal which satisfies the conditions (A) and (B) below and a base resin, and a charge-transport layer including a charge-transporting material, the charge-generating material having, as a major component, the titanyl phthalocyanine crystal which has absorption at a wavelength of a charge-neutralizing light and which satisfies the conditions (A) and (B) or an X-form metal-free phthalocyanine crystal which has absorption at the wavelength of the charge-neutralizing light, and a binder resin. (A) In a Cu—K? characteristic X-ray diffraction spectrum, one peak is present at a Bragg angle 2?±0.2°=27.2°. (B) In a differential scanning calorimetry, one peak is present in a range of 270° C. to 400° C. except for peaks attributed to vaporization of adsorption water.

Abstract: A positively chargeable single-layer electrophotographic photosensitive member includes a conductive substrate and a photosensitive layer. The photosensitive layer contains at least a charge generating material, a hole transport material, an electron transport material, and an electron accepting compound. The hole transport material includes a benzidine derivative. The electron transport material includes at least one compound selected from the group consisting of compounds represented by general formulae (1), (2), (3), and (4) shown below. The electron accepting compound includes at least one compound selected from the group consisting of compounds represented by general formulae (5) and (6) shown below.

Abstract: In a walking assist device having leg links each connected to a support member through a first joint and having a first link and second link connected to the first link through a second joint, and actuators to be operated to displace the first and second links relative to each other to produce assist forces that assist part of user's body weight to assist the user to walk, it is configured such that a forward protruding amount of the second joint to be protruded with change of an angle between the first and second links about the second joint is changed. With this, it becomes possible to decrease the forward protruding amount to be protruded from the trunk of the user with change of the angle about the second joint, thereby decreasing the inertia force about the vertical axis, while mitigating the unnatural impression of the appearance.

Abstract: An image forming method includes using a charging device to charge a surface of a monolayer-type electrophotographic photoconductor that contains a specific amine compound, setting a projection area of the charging device per time relative to the photo sensitive layer surface of the electrophotographic photoconductor to be S (cm2), applying a current value to the charging device to be ICC (?A) and setting an inflow current value represented by ICC/S (?A/cm2) to a value within the range of from 5 to 25 ?A/cm2.

Abstract: A photosensitive layer in a multilayer electrophotographic photoconductor includes a charge-generation layer including a charge-generating material having, as a major component, a titanyl phthalocyanine crystal which satisfies the conditions (A) and (B) below and a base resin, and a charge-transport layer including a charge-transporting material, the charge-generating material having, as a major component, the titanyl phthalocyanine crystal which has absorption at a wavelength of a charge-neutralizing light and which satisfies the conditions (A) and (B) or an X-form metal-free phthalocyanine crystal which has absorption at the wavelength of the charge-neutralizing light, and a binder resin. (A) In a Cu—K? characteristic X-ray diffraction spectrum, one peak is present at a Bragg angle 2?±0.2°=27.2°. (B) In a differential scanning calorimetry, one peak is present in a range of 270° C. to 400° C. except for peaks attributed to vaporization of adsorption water.

Abstract: Provided is a walking assist device including a seat member, a leg link having a joint portion, and a driving source for the joint portion. The walking assist device allows a user to rest by sitting on the seat member. Accordingly, the walking assist device further includes a lock mechanism disposed in the joint portion and an operation unit for the lock mechanism. When the operation unit is switched on, the driving source is controlled to increase an up-pushing force on the seat member. A variation rate on the up-pushing force is increased with time to a given value where the lock mechanism is initiated.

Abstract: In a walking assist device having leg links each connected to a support member through a first joint and having a first link and second link connected to the first link through a second joint, and actuators to be operated to displace the first and second links relative to each other to produce assist forces that assist part of user's body weight to assist the user to walk, it is configured such that a forward protruding amount of the second joint to be protruded with change of an angle between the first and second links about the second joint is changed. With this, it becomes possible to decrease the forward protruding amount to be protruded from the trunk of the user with change of the angle about the second joint, thereby decreasing the inertia force about the vertical axis, while mitigating the unnatural impression of the appearance.

Abstract: A guide mechanism 100 is equipped with a guiding body 31 including a guiding trajectory, and a movable body 32 guided so as to move along the guiding trajectory. The guide mechanism 100 is further equipped with an elastic body 102 of a coil shape with one end thereof being connected to the movable body 32 and extends along the guiding body 31 from the one end thereof, and a first supporting body 106 and a second supporting body 108 which supports the elastic body 102 along the guiding body 31. An electric wiring W for connecting electric equipments together is inserted into the elastic body 102.

Abstract: A guide track has a circular arc guide groove formed in a guide body. A movable body has two rows of rotating bodies that are separated in the width direction of the guide groove, and each row has a plurality of rotating bodies separated in the longitudinal direction of the guide groove. Each row of the rotating bodies is composed of an inner rotating body in rollable contact with a groove wall surface on the inner peripheral side of the guide groove and an outer rotating body in rollable contact with a groove wall surface on the outer peripheral side of the guide groove. The movable body is provided with thrust receivers making contact, in the groove width direction, with vertical wall sections of the guide body.

Abstract: In a legged mobile robot having a body and legs connected to the body, a seating aid is provided at its body so as to enable to sit on a seat. With this, the space occupied by the robot can be decreased to reduce space during storage and transport, and also enhance safety in the course of transport. In addition, maintenance work is simplified because immobilization in the seated condition is possible. Still further, the range of works is expanded to enable deskwork and the like. Further, the seating aid is provided at a location that is rearward of a center of gravity of the robot when the robot is seated. With this, the moment acting on the robot about the center of gravity during seating does not operate to tilt the robot rearward and, therefore, the robot can be enabled to keep a stable posture from before to after sitting down.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus capable of reducing white streaks in gray images and an image forming method using the same are provided. The image forming apparatus including a charging means, a developing means, a transferring means, and a discharging means which are arranged in sequence around a monolayer type electrophotographic photoconductor. The charging means is a means for positively charging the surface of the monolayer type electrophotographic photoconductor, and the pre-charging means has a conductive brush composed of a conductive substrate and conductive brush filaments and is arranged between the charging means and the discharging means. The conductive filaments on the surface of the photoconductor have a bending ratio that is calculated so that the conductive brush filament tips are properly curved near the surface of the photoconductor so as to reduce abnormal discharge between the conductive brush and the surface of the photoconductor.

Abstract: A leg type mobile robot includes a foot joined to a distal end of a leg through a second joint. The foot includes a foot flat portion having a ground contact end of the foot, a movable portion joined to the second joint and configured to be movable in a first direction with respect to the foot flat portion, a shock absorber comprising first and second end portions allowed to move closer to or away from each other in a second direction, the first end portion of the shock absorber being joined to a first point of the movable portion, and a motion direction conversion mechanism configured to convert a motion of the movable portion in the first direction to a motion of the second end portion of the shock absorber in the second direction with respect to the first point of the movable portion.

Abstract: A guide mechanism 100 is equipped with a guiding body 31 including a guiding trajectory, and a movable body 32 guided so as to move along the guiding trajectory. The guide mechanism 100 is further equipped with an elastic body 102 of a coil shape with one end thereof being connected to the movable body 32 and extends along the guiding body 31 from the one end thereof, and a first supporting body 106 and a second supporting body 108 which supports the elastic body 102 along the guiding body 31. An electric wiring W for connecting electric equipments together is inserted into the elastic body 102.

Abstract: Provided is a walking assist device including a seat member, a leg link having a joint portion, and a driving source for the joint portion. The walking assist device allows a user to rest by sitting on the seat member. Accordingly, the walking assist device further includes a lock mechanism disposed in the joint portion and an operation unit for the lock mechanism. When the operation unit is switched on, the driving source is controlled to increase an up-pushing force on the seat member. A variation rate on the up-pushing force is increased with time to a given value where the lock mechanism is initiated.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus which can exhibit an excellent charge eliminating effect by erasing a transfer memory using a precharging device with optimized conditions even when a positively-charged single-layer-type electrophotographic photoconductor is used as a photoconductor. In the image forming apparatus which sequentially arranges a charging device, a developing device, a transfer device, and a charge eliminating device around a single-layer-type electrophotographic photoconductor, the charging device charges a surface of the single-layer-type electrophotographic photoconductor with a positive polarity, a precharging device having a conductive member is arranged on an upstream side of the charge eliminating device, the conductive member is brought into contact with the electrophotographic photoconductor, and a current density Ib (?A/m2) of the injected current into the photoconductor from the conductive member is set to a value of 700 (?A/m2) or more.