Abstract: A plane-type speaker where, on one of the main surfaces of an exciter film, there are placed piezoelectric films which are expanded and contracted by sound-releasing driving signals applied thereto. An oscillation plate is secured to the excited film through frame members. The oscillation plate has a flat-plate shape and is secured to the exciter film while having a warped shape such that it is gradually spaced further away from the exciter film, with decreasing distance from the secured ends to a center area, when viewed at a side surface. This realizes a state where the exciter film is pulled outwardly with respect to the secured ends due to bending stresses therein. If sound-releasing driving signals are applied to the piezoelectric films in this state, the exciter film contracts and expands along with the expansion and contraction of the piezoelectric films, thereby causing the oscillation plate to oscillate.

Abstract: A switch-equipped connector that can reduce the occurrence of intermodulation distortion includes a first terminal, a second movable terminal, and a magnet provided at a position distant from the first and second terminals. At least one of the first and the second terminal has a magnetic metal and the second terminal is configured to come into and out of contact with the first terminal.

Abstract: A displacement sensor having a rectangular shaped elastic member. A piezoelectric element is attached to a first main face of the elastic member. The piezoelectric element has a rectangular-shaped piezoelectric sheet and electrodes on both main faces of the piezoelectric sheet. The piezoelectric sheet is made of poly-L-lactic acid and is at least uniaxially-stretched. The piezoelectric element is attached so that the uniaxial-stretching direction of the piezoelectric sheet is 45° relative to a long-side direction of the elastic member. When the elastic member is bent along the long-side direction, the piezoelectric sheet is stretched along the long-side direction, and the piezoelectric element generates voltage of predetermined level.

Abstract: A piezoelectric sheet included in a touch panel is provided with a split electrode having a plurality of electrode parts. Lattice-shaped coordinates are set in the touch panel, and voltages generated in the respective electrode parts through pressing manipulations with a predetermined load on the respective lattice points are preliminarily stored in a storage portion as reference voltages. During actual use, actually-measured voltages induced in the respective electrode parts due to a pressing manipulation are detected by a detection portion. The ratios of the measured voltages to the reference voltages are calculated by an operation portion, and the average thereof and the standard deviation thereamong are determined. The coordinates of the pressed position are determined from the coordinates of four lattice points in the ascending order of standard deviations. The load is multiplied by the ratio to determine the pressing force of the lattice point having a minimum standard deviation.

Abstract: A specific region of a polylactic acid sheet is heated by a microwave. To allow the polylactic acid sheet to exhibit piezoelectricity in the thickness direction of the polylactic acid sheet, a high voltage is applied to the heated polylactic acid sheet in the thickness direction of the polylactic acid sheet, and thereby the screw axes of at least a part of the polylactic acid molecules are relatively aligned with the thickness direction. Then the polylactic acid sheet is rapidly cooled, and thereby the polylactic acid molecules are immobilized. The same step is executed for other regions of the polylactic acid sheet, and thereby piezoelectricity is imparted to a wide area of the polylactic acid sheet in the thickness direction. The resultant piezoelectric sheet is capable of exhibiting a high piezoelectricity in the thickness direction.

Abstract: A cryopump system includes: a plurality of cryopumps connected to a common roughing pump and provided with a plurality of rough valves, respectively; and a controller configured to control each of the rough valves for regenerating a corresponding one of the plurality of cryopumps. A delay time is set between closing of an open one of the plurality of rough valves and opening of a closed one of the plurality of rough valves.

Abstract: A specific region of a polylactic acid sheet is heated by a microwave. To allow the polylactic acid sheet to exhibit piezoelectricity in the thickness direction of the polylactic acid sheet, a high voltage is applied to the heated polylactic acid sheet in the thickness direction of the polylactic acid sheet, and thereby the screw axes of at least a part of the polylactic acid molecules are relatively aligned with the thickness direction. Then the polylactic acid sheet is rapidly cooled, and thereby the polylactic acid molecules are immobilized. The same step is executed for other regions of the polylactic acid sheet, and thereby piezoelectricity is imparted to a wide area of the polylactic acid sheet in the thickness direction. The resultant piezoelectric sheet is capable of exhibiting a high piezoelectricity in the thickness direction.

Abstract: A cryopump system includes: a plurality of cryopumps; a plurality of compressor units arranged to operate in parallel in accordance with a control output, respectively, to supply refrigerant gas to the plurality of cryopumps; and a cryopump controller operative to determine the control output for each of the plurality of compressor units. The cryopump controller adjusts a preset value for at least one of the compressor units, the preset value being utilized to determine the control output, so that operation statuses of the respective compressor units are substantially equalized.

Abstract: A multiple-mode dielectric resonator in which a through hole is formed in a substantially cubic dielectric core so as to pass through opposing surfaces thereof. A conductive support bar is inserted into the through hole. Both ends of the support bar are secured to a cavity, and opposing inside walls defining the cavity are electrically connected to each other (are short-circuited) by the support bar. Therefore, the dielectric core is disposed in the cavity without using a support base, so that the resonance frequencies of TM01 delta modes, which are spurious modes, are considerably separated from frequencies of TE01 delta modes that are used.

Abstract: A multiple-mode dielectric resonator in which a through hole is formed in a substantially cubic dielectric core so as to pass through opposing surfaces thereof. A conductive support bar is inserted into the through hole. Both ends of the support bar are secured to a cavity, and opposing inside walls defining the cavity are electrically connected to each other (are short-circuited) by the support bar. Therefore, the dielectric core is disposed in the cavity without using a support base, so that the resonance frequencies of TM01 delta modes, which are spurious modes, are considerably separated from frequencies of TE01 delta modes that are used.

Abstract: In a communication network system which unifies a system communication network and a master system communication network, each of a plurality of controlled devices is configured to transmit status data to a master controller and receive control data from the master controller so that the controlled device is operated based on the control data. The master controller comprises a control unit configured to receive status data of the controlled devices and transmit control data to the controlled devices, the control unit being configured to transmit the status data to a system controller and receive the control data from the system controller. The system controller comprises a second control unit configured to receive the status data of the controlled devices from the master controller, perform a processing operation based on the status data, and transmit a result of the processing operation to the master controller as the control data.

Abstract: A driving force control apparatus is configured to automatically apply a braking force to a plurality of wheels in order to descend down a hill at a constant speed, such that the wheels can be prevented from being locked by the braking force, and the vehicle speed can be prevented from increasing. In order for a vehicle to travel at a preset speed, the vehicle driving force control apparatus detects the speeds of the wheels subjected to a braking force, and switches the vehicle from a four-wheel drive (4WD) mode in which driving force is distributed to all of the wheels to a two-wheel drive (2WD) mode in which driving force is distributed to only the front wheels. The switch is made when the vehicle speed is equal to or less than a lower limit threshold. The front wheels are prevented from locking, and increases in the vehicle speed are suppressed.

Abstract: A multiple-mode dielectric resonator in which a through hole is formed in a substantially cubic dielectric core so as to pass through opposing surfaces thereof. A conductive support bar is inserted into the through hole. Both ends of the support bar are secured to a cavity, and opposing inside walls defining the cavity are electrically connected to each other (are short-circuited) by the support bar. Therefore, the dielectric core is disposed in the cavity without using a support base, so that the resonance frequencies of TM01 delta modes, which are spurious modes, are considerably separated from frequencies of TE01 delta modes that are used.

Abstract: Ceramic cavities 1a and 1b have upper and lower open faces and contain dielectric cores 2a and 2b formed integrally therein. The ceramic cavities 1a and 1b are sandwiched between upper and lower panels 3 and 4 at the upper and lower open faces, respectively, of the ceramic cavities 1a and 1b via grounding plates 5a and 5b and grounding plates 6a and 6b, respectively, and the upper and lower panels 3 and 4 are fixed by screws. Based on this structure, a problem of an unreliable joint part between an open face of a ceramic cavity and a metal panel connected directly to each other by soldering and the problem of increase of the number of components of a structure in which a printed circuit board is mounted to the open face of the ceramic cavity by using grounding plates can be overcome, even when the ceramic cavity has an open face formed in a complex shape.

Abstract: A small dielectric duplexer using a small TM mode dielectric resonator having a low loss is formed. On the transmission side thereof, TM double mode dielectric resonators and a TM triple mode dielectric resonator are arranged in a line so that their opening surfaces face the same direction. On the receiving side thereof, TM single mode dielectric resonators and a TM triple mode dielectric resonator are also arranged in the same direction in a similar manner as the transmission side. The external dimensions of the plurality of these dielectric resonators are made uniform by selecting a dielectric having a dielectric constant according to the degree of multiplexing. The opening surfaces of the cavities are covered by a panel having input/output terminals, an antenna connection terminal and input/output loops and by a panel having coupling loops. In this manner, a small dielectric duplexer with uniform external dimensions and a low loss is formed.

Abstract: A plurality of cylindrical inner conductor portions having different diameters are connected with each other to form an inner conductor. The inner conductor portions include high-impedance portions and low-impedance portions. The inner conductor is formed within an outer conductor with a nonuniform inner diameter. The inner conductor is formed so that the axial length of some of the inner conductor portions forming the high-impedance portions is smaller than the axial length of the other inner conductor portions forming the high-impedance portions, and the diameter of the inner conductor portions forming the high-impedance portions is greater than a predetermined minimum diameter.

Abstract: A cryopump control system with single or multiple cryopumps is controlled by a parallel system operating modules connected by two low voltage wires. A separate cable is also connected to the operating module to provide power to various cryopump components. Communication is via a bus that communicates directly with IC devices in the operating modules that also contain small capacitors to enable the control system to be run by a single computer processor in which all of the logic for controlling one or more cryopumps and communicating with additional optional components resides.

Abstract: Ceramic cavities 1a and 1b have upper and lower open faces and contain dielectric cores 2a and 2b formed integrally therein. The ceramic cavities 1a and 1b are sandwiched between upper and lower panels 3 and 4 at the upper and lower open faces, respectively, of the ceramic cavities 1a and 1b via grounding plates 5a and 5b and grounding plates 6a and 6b, respectively, and the upper and lower panels 3 and 4 are fixed by screws. Based on this structure, a problem of an unreliable joint part between an open face of a ceramic cavity and a metal panel connected directly to each other by soldering and the problem of increase of the number of components of a structure in which a printed circuit board is mounted to the open face of the ceramic cavity by using grounding plates can be overcome, even when the ceramic cavity has an open face formed in a complex shape.

Abstract: A dielectric resonance element comprises a dielectric member integrally formed and composed of first and second plate portions which intersect each other such that respective center lines of the plate portions are coincident with each other. The first and second plate portions cause TE01&dgr; resonance modes to develop, in which the electric field vectors of the TE01&dgr; resonance modes are turned in the in-plane directions of the plate portions.

Abstract: A plurality of cylindrical inner conductor portions having different diameters are connected with each other to form an inner conductor. The inner conductor portions include high-impedance portions and low-impedance portions. The inner conductor is formed within an outer conductor with a nonuniform inner diameter.