Abstract: A heat-accumulative material composed of a polymer or oligomer having a melting point of ?10 to 100° C. and latent heat of 30 J/g or more for use around a body, and heat-accumulative composition comprising the same heat-accumulative material. The heat-accumulative material tends to be kept at a constant temperature more effectively by absorbing heat as ambient temperature increases to melt, and releasing heat as ambient temperature decreases to solidify, to moderate the effect of changed ambient temperature, and thereby to exhibit the function as a heat-accumulative material. They have a sufficiently high viscosity, preventing the heat-accumulative material from flowing out even when it is molten. Each of the heat-accumulative material and composition can be made into a heat-accumulative film or sheet, laminate, molded article, composite fiber and cloth which can be suitably used around a body.

Abstract: On a region of a ring-shaped continuous decorative portion 15 formed of tops and bottoms in cross-section, protruding portions 17 higher than the decorative portion 15 and having a predetermined surface area are provided. A joined portion of the decorative portion 15 and each protruding portion 17 or of the protruding portions is set higher than the bottoms of the decorative portion 15, and a rigidity difference between the protruding portions 17 and the decorative portion 15 is resolved, thus restricting an occurrence of a stress concentration.

Abstract: A method for designing an integrated circuit such as a VLSI circuit, in particular optimizing delay of a signal transmitting through signal lines connecting a signal supplying source to each of elements, whereby skew can be decreased. The method can include determining whether the signal source satisfies a fan-out restriction if the signal source supplies a signal to all of the driven elements which are directly connected to the signal source, dividing the elements into groups so that the fan-out restriction is satisfied in each of the groups and each of the groups has the same or substantially same load capacity, when the signal source does not satisfy the fan-out restriction, and inserting into each group, a buffer having a size which makes the groups of elements satisfy the fan-out restriction. The dividing and the buffer inserting are repeated until a positive determination is delivered on the fan-out restriction.

Abstract: A method of forming a tree structure type circuit includes the steps of dividing a division target region of LSI into a plurality of regions, placing constituent elements as distribution targets in the regions, forming a tree, conducting schematic routing, and conducting timing improvement while considering a clock skew. These processings are repeated by a preset number of times. If the repetition number reaches a specified number, the constituent elements and an added buffer or the like are subjected to detailed placement, and automatic routing is conducted.

Abstract: It is provided an object of the invention to recover unutilized energy as electric power by the hydraulic turbine power generation so as to reuse it.

Abstract: There is provided a method utilized when designing an integrated circuit such as a VLSI or the like. The method is utilized for optimizing the delay of a signal transmitting through signal lines connecting a signal supplying source to each of elements, whereby skew can be positively decreased.

Abstract: The present invention is a method that can simultaneously and reliably optimize the clock propagation delay time and clock skew of the entire semiconductor integrated circuit. For this reason, in the present invention, a clock-supplying element and a plurality of clock-receiving elements are first disposed. Then, a wiring path is determined while adjusting both a wired state and a buffer-inserting position from the clock-receiving elements toward the clock-supplying element. Such a method according to the present invention is employed, for example, in the layout of a semiconductor integrated circuit such as an integrated circuit, a large-scale integration, etc. Particularly, it is employed in the automatic layout of a clock distributing circuit.

Abstract: The present invention is a method that can simultaneously and reliably optimize the clock propagation delay time and clock skew of the entire semiconductor integrated circuit. For this reason, in the present invention, a clock-supplying element and a plurality of clock-receiving elements are first disposed. Then, a wiring path is determined while adjusting both a wired state and a buffer-inserting position from the clock-receiving elements toward the clock-supplying element. Such a method according to the present invention is employed, for example, in the layout of a semiconductor integrated circuit such as an integrated circuit, a large-scale integration, etc. Particularly, it is employed in the automatic layout of a clock distributing circuit.

Abstract: A heater/cooler unit of an automotive air conditioning system for use in a vehicle is disclosed. The unit includes a casing defining an air flow passage for flow of air. The casing includes an enlarged lower portion and a reduced upper portion, and an air inlet opening and an air outlet opening communicating with the air flow passage. The unit also includes an evaporator in the air flow passage. The unit also includes a heater in the air flow passage with an air flow space being formed between the heater and the evaporator. The unit also includes a ventilation opening formed in the casing. The unit also includes a pair of heat openings formed in the casing, one on each side wall above the heater. The unit also includes a pair of heat ducts. The overall lateral size of the unit can be minimized.

Abstract: In an inverter maintenance system, while an inverter of a user, a user support server of maker, and also, a portable telephone capable of accessing to a Web server are employed, such information required to maintain/manage the inverter is transferred/received by way of the portable telephone. Thus, various sorts of requests can be accepted by both the user support server and the Web server.

Abstract: An air conditioning unit for a vehicle has a unit case enclosing a blower fan, a cooling heat exchanger (evaporator) and a heating heat exchanger (heater core), and defining therein an air conditioning passage for conveying air from the blower fan through the cooling heat exchanger and the heating heat exchanger, to an upper outlet opening. The air conditioning passage has an upstream passage section extending downward on a first side of the blower fan to convey the air from the blower fan downward, an intermediate passage section extending under the blower fan in a first direction from the first side to a second side of the blower fan, and a downstream passage section extending upward on the second side of the blower fan to the upper outlet opening for directing the air over the blower fan in a second direction, opposite to the first direction, from the second side toward the first side (toward the passenger compartment of the vehicle).

Abstract: Natural organic impalpable powder is adhered to at least on a side in direct contact with the skin of a skin contact goods applied to skin. When the skin contact goods is, for instance, a sanitary goods having a surface material directly applied to the skin and an absorbing body covered with the surface material, the natural organic impalpable powder having an average particle size of less than 30 &mgr;m is adhered by processing base of the surface member with a treatment. The treatment includes the natural organic impalpable powder and at least one of dispersion medium selected from the group consisting of water, organic solvent, resin emulsion and resin aqueous solution. By the above arrangement, moisture inhalation and touch of the surface material in direct contact with the skin can be improved.

Abstract: In an automobile heating, ventilation, and air conditioning unit, an air-purifying filter is slanted and arranged in an upstream air duct defined in a HVAC unit case, so that the upstream end of the filter is supported by an upper supporting portion fixedly connected to the unit case for supporting the evaporator core and so that the downstream end of the filter is located away from the lower end of the evaporator core. Foot vent ducts are partitioned and formed in the unit case, utilizing the dimensional difference between the evaporator and heater cores in both height and width dimensions. Temperature-adjustment ribs, slanted and inwardly extending from the inner periphery of the forward wall of the unit case above the heater core, are provided close to foot vent outlets, so that the foot vent outlets face to a space defined just downstream of the temperature-adjustment ribs.

Abstract: A heater/cooler unit of an automotive air conditioning system, comprises a casing, an evaporator, a heater unit and at least one duct. The casing has air inlet and outlet openings which are connected through an air flow passage defined by the casing. The casing includes an enlarged portion and a reduced portion by which an enlarged part and a reduced part of the air flow passage are defined respectively. The casing thus has a concave contour defined by the reduced portion thereof. The evaporator is installed in the enlarged part of the air flow passage. The heater unit which is smaller in size than the evaporator is installed in the reduced part of the air flow passage. The duct snugly extends along the concave contour of the casing. The duct has one end connected to a downstream portion of the air flow passage.

Abstract: A thermosetting composition comprises (A) a compound having in the molecule two or more carboxyl groups blocked by a vinyl ether compound, a vinyl thioether compound or a hetero compound having a vinyl type double bond and oxygen or sulfur as the hetero atom, (B) a compound having in the molecule two or more reactive functional groups which can form chemical bonds with the blocked carboxyl groups, and (C) a dispersing component of at least one inorganic oxide sol selected from the group consisting of aluminium oxide sol, silica sol, zirconium oxide sol and antimony oxide sol, and optionally (D) a thermal latent acid catalyst which is activated during curing the composition by heating. A method of coating and a coated article comprise applying the composition. The obtained paint film has excellent weathering resistance, stain resistance, stain-removing property, chemical resistance, moisture resistance and excellent appearance.

Abstract: A heater/cooler unit of an automotive air conditioning device comprises a casing which has air inlet and outlet openings. An air mixing chamber is located just upstream of the air outlet opening. A first air flow passage extends from the air inlet opening to the air mixing chamber. A second air flow passage extends from a downstream part of the first air flow passage to the air mixing chamber. A third air flow passage extends downstream from the air mixing chamber. An evaporator is installed in an upstream part of the first air flow passage for cooling air passing therethrough. A heater core is installed in the second air flow passage for warming air passing therethrough. A mix door is arranged to control the proportion between the amount of air directly led to the mixing chamber from the first air flow passage and the amount of air directed to the second air flow passage from the first air flow passage.

Abstract: Materials containing fine natural organic material particles are disclosed. As the fine particles, superfine silk fibroin particles are produced by a process comprising a first step of comminuting silk fibroin into coarse particles with dry mechanical comminuting means, a second step of comminuting the coarse silk fibroin particles into fine particles with dry mechanical comminuting means, and a third step of comminuting the fine silk fibroin particles into superfine particles with an average particle diameter of 10 .mu.m or below with dry mechanical comminuting means, the silk fibroin particles being beta-treated during or after at least one of the first to third comminuting steps. Specific examples of the material are films, sheets, paints, fiber treating materials, etc.

Abstract: An evaporator/expansion valve unit for use in an automotive air conditioning system, comprises an evaporator which includes first and second parallely extending elongate tanks and a plurality of flat hollow elements mounted on the first and second elongate tanks. The interior of each element is in a fluid communication with the interior of each tank. The first tank is formed with inlet and outlet openings. A block type expansion valve has a first passage which is closed when a spherical valve body abuts against a given part of the first passage against a certain force applied thereto and a second passage which has a temperature sensing means by which the certain force is varied in accordance with the temperature of a refrigerant flowing in the second passage. The first passage has an outlet opening connected to the inlet opening of the first tank. The second passage has an inlet opening connected to the outlet opening of the first tank. The expansion valve has the first tank directly mounted thereon.

Abstract: A fiber treatment composition containing a synthetic resin such as a silicon resin emulsion, a polyurethane resin emulsion and the like and a pulverized hydrophilic organic natural material such as collagen. A fiber treated by using the treatment composition. A method of treating the fiber by stirring the fiber treatment composition in a ball mill or the like, soaking a fiber in the composition by the pad method, and drying the fiber under a temperature from 80 to 160 degrees.

Abstract: A fiber treatment composition containing a synthetic resin such as a silicon resin emulsion, a polyurethane resin emulsion and the like and a pulverized hydrophilic organic group natural material such as collagen. A fiber treated by using the treatment composition. A method of treating the fiber by stirring the fiber treatment composition in a ball mill or the like, soaking a fiber in the composition by the pad method, and drying the fiber under a temperature from 80 to 160 degrees.