Abstract: A piezoceramic multilayer actuator (10) has a plurality of piezoceramic layers (12), a security layer (20) and a plurality of inner electrodes (16, 18). The piezoceramic layers (12) has a piezoceramic first material sintered at a sintering temperature. The security layer (20) has a second material and is disposed between two piezoceramic layers (12). Each of the plurality of inner electrodes (16, 18) has a third material and is deposited between two piezoceramic layers (12). The degree of sintering of the second material is lower than the degree of sintering of the third material.

Abstract: In a method of manufacturing a piezoceramic multilayer actuator (10), a plurality of green layers is provided, wherein the green layers are to be converted to piezoceramic layers (12) with a piezoceramic material in a subsequent step of heating. A security layer material mixture with a second material (32) and particles (30) embedded in the second material (32) is provided, wherein the particles (30) have a third material different from the first material and different from the second material (32). The security layer material mixture is laminated between two piezoceramic layers (12), thereby forming a green stack. The green stack is heated to a sintering temperature, wherein the green layers are converted to the piezoceramic layers (12), and wherein a chemical reaction of the third material degrades the mechanical connection of the piezoceramic layers (12) by the security layer (20).

Abstract: A piezoceramic multilayer actuator (10) has a plurality of piezoceramic layers (12) and a security layer (20) disposed between two piezoceramic layers (12). The piezoceramic layers (12) have a piezoceramic first material sintered at a sintering temperature. The security layer (20) has a second material (32) and particles (30) at least partially embedded in the second material (32). The particles (30) have a third material different from the first material and different from the second material (32). An adhesion between the third material and the first material is weaker than an adhesion between the second material (32) and the first material.

Abstract: A screw pump includes a housing and a pair of intermeshing screw rotors. The housing has an inlet port and an outlet port. Each rotor has a first portion whose lead angle decreases. The first portion and the housing form an inlet space and a pump space. Winding angle of the first portion has a first region and a second region. The first region is located in a predetermined range from the end on the first portion adjacent to the inlet port toward the outlet port. The second region is located adjacent to the first region. Reduction rate of the lead angle of the first portion in the first region is set smaller than that in the second region. The maximum lead angle of the first portion is set smaller than a lead angle which decreases at a constant rate in the first region and the second region.

Abstract: A screw pump includes a housing and a pair of intermeshing screw rotors. An end face of the rotor adjacent to an inlet port of the housing is provided with an inlet opening. Each rotor has a first portion whose lead angle changes. The first portions and the housing cooperate to form an inlet space. During rotation of the rotors, communication between the inlet space and the inlet port is blocked by the first portions and the housing thereby to form a closed pump space adjacent to the inlet space. Volume of the pump space is set smaller than the maximum volume of the inlet space. A closure member is provided which covers at least a part of the inlet openings. The closure member closes the inlet space when the volume of the inlet space exceeds that of the pump space.

Abstract: An ignition coil includes primary and secondary coils, center and outer cores, and an ion current detector for transmitting an ion current detection output. The center core has an axial upper end defining a center core upper end surface. The outer core has an axial upper end defining an outer core upper end surface. The center core upper end surface axially protrudes upwardly relative to the outer core upper end surface. The center core upper end surface is located at a stagger distance axially from the outer core upper end surface. The stagger distance is defined such that a detection period for residual magnetic noise in the ion current detection output falls within a system requirement period of a control unit.

Abstract: A vacuum pump includes a housing assembly having an oil-reservoir chamber in which a lubricating oil is stored; a pair of screw rotors disposed in the housing assembly and engaged with each other; a pair of rotary shafts connected to the rotors, respectively; a plurality of bearings supporting each of the rotary shafts and having an opening; an oil-feed pump for feeding the lubricating oil from the oil-reservoir chamber to the bearing; an oil-circulation passage provided for circulating the lubricating oil from the oil-feed pump to the oil-reservoir chamber through the bearing; a cover provided at the opening of the bearing to close the opening of the bearing with a clearance remained, the cover permitting the lubricating oil to enter the bearing through the clearance; and an oil-escape passage provided adjacent to the bearing for returning to the oil-reservoir chamber the lubricating oil not entering the bearing.

Abstract: In a stick coil, there is disclosed an ignition coil for an internal combustion engine which can prevent a crack (a collar leak) from being generated due to a thermal stress. In this ignition coil, the structure is made such that a size (L) of a portion which is in parallel to an axial direction of a primary spool (121) in a projection portion (121b) is larger than a size (T) of a portion which is in parallel to an orthogonal direction to the axial direction of the primary spool (121). Accordingly, a frontal projected area of the projection portion (121b) as seen from a flowing direction of a resin becomes small, a resin flow is hard to get out of order at a time when the resin flows through a portion corresponding to the projection portion (121b) at the forming time, and a convoluted void and a weld are hard to be generated.

Abstract: In a stick coil, there is disclosed an ignition coil for an internal combustion engine which can prevent a crack (a collar leak) from being generated due to a thermal stress. In this ignition coil, the structure is made such that a size (L) of a portion which is in parallel to an axial direction of a primary spool (121) in a projection portion (121b) is larger than a size (T) of a portion which is in parallel to an orthogonal direction to the axial direction of the primary spool (121). Accordingly, a frontal projected area of the projection portion (121b) as seen from a flowing direction of a resin becomes small, a resin flow is hard to get out of order at a time when the resin flows through a portion corresponding to the projection portion (121b) at the forming time, and a convoluted void and a weld are hard to be generated.

Abstract: The data recording/reproducing apparatus of the present invention efficiently performs a trickplay mode operation such as fast forward reproducing and rewind reproducing and a postrecording operation by using a data recording medium storing a variable-bitrate-compressed video data. Each AV file in the video data includes chapter data and first and second pointer data. Each GOP data in the chapter data includes one independent picture data and a plurality of dependent picture data. The first pointer data includes the location data of the independent picture data, and the second pointer data includes the location data of the first pointer data. Further, each GOP data includes an audio data interleaved with the picture data. The first pointer data includes the location data of the corresponding audio data, and the second pointer data includes the location data of the corresponding first pointer data.

Abstract: Two separate iron cores 31 and 32, forming a magnetic path, are engaged with both ends of a cylindrical coil body 12. Each iron core has upper and lower limbs disposed in parallel with each other. Cylindrical coil body 12 accommodates a primary coil 221 and a secondary coil 223 therein, and has a core-insertion hole 4 for receiving the iron cores 31 and 32. The upper limb of each iron core is inserted in core-insertion hole 4 while lower limb extends along an outer wall of cylindrical coil body 12, so that cylindrical coil body 12 is engaged with iron cores 31 and 32 by these upper and lower limbs clamping between an inside wall of core-insertion hole 4 and the outer wall of cylindrical coil body 12. Primary coil 221 has an outermost layer formed into a dense alignment winding layer at its end part and into a non-dense alignment winding layer at its middle part.

Abstract: The data recording/reproducing apparatus of the present invention efficiently performs a trickplay mode operation such as fast forward reproducing and rewind reproducing and a postrecording operation by using a data recording medium storing a variable-bitrate-compressed video data. Each AV file in the video data includes chapter data and first and second pointer data. Each GOP data in the chapter data includes one independent picture data and a plurality of dependent picture data. The first pointer data includes the location data of the independent picture data, and the second pointer data includes the location data of the first pointer data. Further, each GOP data includes an audio data interleaved with the picture data. The first pointer data includes the location data of the corresponding audio data, and the second pointer data includes the location data of the corresponding first pointer data.

Abstract: The data recording/reproducing apparatus of the present invention efficiently performs a trickplay mode operation such as fast forward reproducing and rewind reproducing and a postrecording operation by using a data recording medium storing a variable-bitrate-compressed video data. Each AV file in the video data includes chapter data and first and second pointer data. Each GOP data in the chapter data includes one independent picture data and a plurality of dependent picture data. The first pointer data includes the location data of the independent picture data, and the second pointer data includes the location data of the first pointer data. Further, each GOP data includes an audio data interleaved with the picture data. The first pointer data includes the location data of the corresponding audio data, and the second pointer data includes the location data of the corresponding first pointer data.

Abstract: A data recording medium using a format that includes: a data zone having a plurality of bands composed of at least one track, in which user data are written; and a control zone in which band control data are written. Each of the band control data corresponds to a respective one of the plurality of bands. The band control data are independent from each other. The band control data include read control data for a READ operation and write control data for a WRITE operation, which are independent from each other.

Abstract: A crystal resonant scanner has a scanning mirror which is cyclically reciprocally oscillatable for reflecting and deflecting a laser beam emitted by a laser beam source to scan an optically detectable pattern of information such as a bar code. A concave mirror is fixed in position for converging a light beam reflected off the optically detectable pattern upon scanning the optically detectable pattern with the light beam reflected by the scanning mirror. The concave mirror has a hole defined substantially centrally therein, and the scanning mirror is positioned in the hole. The light beam converged by the concave mirror is detected by a photodetector. The laser beam source and the photodetector are positioned in front of the scanning mirror and the concave mirror. The photodetector produces an electric signal indicative of the intensity of the detected light beam.

Abstract: A bar-code reader for reading bar codes on articles or commodities in supermarkets or retail stores has a scanning unit mounted on a vertically movable support post assembly and including a scanning system which emits a scanning light beam and detects light reflected from a bar code. The bar-code reader includes various indicating members, such as an indicator rod, an indicator ring, an arrow mark, a pattern mark, and a colored sheet, for indicating to the operator a direction, a position, and an area or zone in which to pass an article with a bar code in order for the bar code to be successully read by the scanning system.

Abstract: A circular saw blade which comprises a circular main body, and a plurality of circumferentially spaced cutter tips secured to said main body, each of the cutter tips having a front surface whose width is gradually symmetrically increased from the bottom portion toward the top portion thereof and whose top edge providing a cutting edge of the cutter tip arcs with the center of curvature being located on the center line of the symmetry.