Abstract: A pedestrian protection system is mounted in the front portion of a vehicle, and includes a controller, a forward movement holding mechanism controlled in actuation by the controller, and a contact body that a pedestrian can contact. The controller, when having predicted a collision of a pedestrian with the vehicle based on a signal from a collision predicting sensor, actuates the forward movement holding mechanism to cause a forward movement of the contact body, and based on a signal from a turn sensor when the forward movement holding mechanism carries out an upward rotation or a downward rotation at the time of contact of the forwardly moved contact body with a pedestrian, controls actuation of the restraint body so as to correspond to a pedestrian moving to a front upper side of the vehicle and a pedestrian moving to a front lower side of the vehicle, respectively.

Abstract: A carrier for an electrophotographic developer in which a surface of a carrier core particle is coated with a silicone resin or a modified silicone resin, the coated resin containing a dioctyltin compound, and the silicon content and dioctyltin content in the coating resin satisfy the following expression, and an electrophtographic developer using the carrier. 0.5?(dioctyltin content/silicon content)×100?11.

Abstract: A polishing tool comprising a support member, and polishing means fixed to the support member. The polishing means is composed of felt having a density of 0.20 g/cm3 or more and a hardness of 30 or more, and abrasive grains dispersed in the felt. A polishing method and apparatus involving pressing the polishing means against a surface of a workpiece to be polished, while rotating the workpiece and also rotating the polishing tool.

Abstract: A document reading apparatus includes a first reading section for reading a first side of a document and a second reading section for reading a second side of the document, wherein a first reading position and a second reading position are disposed front and back in a conveyance direction at the document conveyance path, and wherein a pre-reading conveyance section and a post reading conveyance section which sandwich the first reading position and the second reading position in the conveyance direction are provided and the document is conveyed at the first reading position and at the second reading position by a conveyance section consisting of the pre-reading conveyance section and the post reading conveyance section, and wherein a conveyance force of the post reading conveyance section is equal to or less than a conveyance force of the pre-reading conveyance section.

Abstract: When activated, an actuator causes a piston rod in a cylinder to move forwards so as to support a receiving member for receiving an object to be protected. A lock mechanism for restricting a backward movement of the piston rod includes a lock ring which is accommodated in an accommodating groove on a piston portion and a locking stepped portion on the cylinder side. The locking stepped portion includes a locking and restricting surface and an outer circumferential restricting surface.

Abstract: A pedestrian protection system is mounted in the front portion of a vehicle, and includes a controller, a forward movement holding mechanism controlled in actuation by the controller, and a contact body that a pedestrian can contact. The controller, when having predicted a collision of a pedestrian with the vehicle based on a signal from a collision predicting sensor, actuates the forward movement holding mechanism to cause a forward movement of the contact body, and based on a signal from a turn sensor when the forward movement holding mechanism carries out an upward rotation or a downward rotation at the time of contact of the forwardly moved contact body with a pedestrian, controls actuation of the restraint body so as to correspond to a pedestrian moving to a front upper side of the vehicle and a pedestrian moving to a front lower side of the vehicle, respectively.

Abstract: The occupant protection system includes a catching body that is housed in a housing located between a near-by seat and a distant seat for upward deployment and a support body that supports the catching body. The catching body covers the impact side of a distant-side occupant to catch the occupant moving toward the impacted lateral and includes a distal end acting as a free end swingable in a left and right direction. The support body is located on a side of the near-by seat close to the impacted lateral for deployment to support the catching body when the catching body swings toward the impacted lateral after receiving the distant-side occupant.

Abstract: A hood lift-up apparatus of the invention is arranged on a lower side of a rear end of a hood panel of a vehicle and includes an actuator of a constitution of fixing a cylinder in a shape of a circular cylinder arranged by making an axial direction thereof substantially in line with a vertical direction to a body member of a vehicle by utilizing an attaching bracket. The attaching bracket is constructed by a constitution of including a holding portion of holding the cylinder by being disposed on a rear portion side constituting a side of the cylinder, and an attaching portion arranged on a front side of the cylinder by being extended to the front side from the holding portion and is fixed to a body member at a portion of the attaching portion.

Abstract: An actuator includes a cylinder, a piston rod which moves forwards within the cylinder and a lock mechanism for restricting a backward movement of the piston rod that has moved forwards. The piston rod includes a piston portion and a support rod portion which is made to extend from the piston portion. The lock mechanism includes an annular elastic element which is disposed with an inner circumferential edge made to project further radially inwards than an inner circumferential surface of the cylinder and a groove which is disposed so as to extend along an outer circumferential surface of the piston portion for the annular elastic element to be fitted therein.

Abstract: The invention provides an actuator A configured as an actuator in which a piston 38 disposed in a cylinder 21 is moved together with a supporting rod 45 connected to the piston 38 by introducing a working fluid G into the cylinder 21 and including a locking mechanism R for restricting a reverse movement of the supporting rod 45 which has moved forwards. The locking mechanism R includes a locking pin 43 adapted to project from an outer circumferential surface of the piston 38 which extends around an axis thereof, a flow path 40 which allows a working fluid G which flows into the cylinder 21 to flow, and a locking surface 25 for locking the locking pin 43 and is made to cause the locking pin 43 to project from the outer circumferential surface of the piston 38 by making use of the pressure of the working fluid G which is allowed to flow into an accommodating recessed portion 39 of the locking pin 43 via a flow path 40.

Abstract: An image reading device to read an image carried on a document, including: an image reading section to read an image carried on a document; a polygonal member, mounted to face the image reading section, and spaced from the image reading section at a predetermined distance, the polygonal member includes a document feeding flat surface which faces the image reading section when the document is fed thereon, a white flat surface, and a black flat surface; a light source to emit light rays onto the image carried on the document, and onto the polygonal member when the document is not fed; and a control section to control an amount of the light rays emitted from the light source; wherein the control section corrects an amount of light rays concerning the white color and the black color, based on the amount of the light rays read by the image reading section.

Abstract: There is described a document feeding apparatus and an image reading apparatus, which are employed for a copier, a facsimile, a scanner, etc. The document feeding apparatus or the image reading apparatus includes: a document feeding tray on which documents are stacked; a paper forwarding device to forward the documents; a document detector to detect the documents; and a controller to control the paper forwarding device. When forwarding a document having a length equal to or greater than a predetermined length in a conveying direction, the controller activates the paper forwarding device so as to forward a next document based on a detected result acquired by the document detector. While, when forwarding a document having a length smaller than the predetermined length, the controller activates the paper forwarding device so as to forward a next document without being based on a detected result acquired by the document detector.

Abstract: A document feeder reads a document at a reading section while conveying the document. The document feeder has a flexible member which is set in a convey path formed in a document feeding section such that the document is always conveyed along the convey path, and which flexes by a passing force of the document, to allow conveyance of the document. The flexible member is formed of a PET sheet, and is adhered to a reading guide member provided to the document feeding section, to close the convey path.

Abstract: A magnetic transfer wherein the exchange of master mediums is made easy to perform is provided, whereby the operational efficiency and transfer efficiency are improved, leading to an overall improvement in productivity in the manufacture of preformatted slave mediums. A master fixing base for determining and supporting the position of a master medium, which bears transfer data, and a conjoining apparatus for conjoining the master medium and the slave medium that is to receive the transfer therefrom are provided. The master medium is exchanged along with the master fixing base. It is preferable that a cleaning means be provided.

Abstract: A polishing tool comprising a support member, and polishing means fixed to the support member. The polishing means is composed of felt having a density of 0.20 g/cm3 or more and a hardness of 30 or more, and abrasive grains dispersed in the felt. A polishing method and apparatus involving pressing the polishing means against a surface of a workpiece to be polished, while rotating the workpiece and also rotating the polishing tool.

Abstract: A wafer processing method for dividing a wafer having optical devices that are formed in a plurality of areas sectioned by dividing lines formed in a lattice pattern on the front surface, along the dividing lines, comprising a laser beam application step of applying a laser beam capable of passing through the wafer along the dividing lines to form deteriorated layers having a predetermined depth from the back surface of the wafer; a protective sheet affixing step of affixing a protective sheet to the front surface of the wafer having the deteriorated layers formed therein; a dividing step of dividing the wafer having the protective sheet affixed to the front surface along the deteriorated layers; and a grinding step of grinding the back surface of the wafer divided along the deteriorated layers in a state of the protective sheet being affixed to the wafer, to remove the deteriorated layers.

Abstract: A wafer processing method for dividing a wafer having optical devices that are formed in a plurality of areas sectioned by dividing lines formed in a lattice pattern on the front surface, along the dividing lines, which comprises a laser beam application step of applying a laser beam to the wafer along the dividing lines from the side of the back surface thereof to form grooves having a predetermined depth in the back surface; a protective sheet affixing step of affixing a protective sheet to the front surface of the wafer having the grooves in the back surface; a dividing step of dividing the wafer having the protective sheet affixed to the front surface along the grooves; and a grinding step of grinding the back surface of the wafer divided along the grooves in a state of the protective sheet being affixed to the wafer, to remove the grooves.

Abstract: There is described a document feeding apparatus and an image reading apparatus, which are employed for a copier, a facsimile, a scanner, etc. The document feeding apparatus or the image reading apparatus includes: a document feeding tray on which documents are stacked; a paper forwarding device to forward the documents; a document detector to detect the documents; and a controller to control the paper forwarding device. When forwarding a document having a length equal to or greater than a predetermined length in a conveying direction, the controller activates the paper forwarding device so as to forward a next document based on a detected result acquired by the document detector. While, when forwarding a document having a length smaller than the predetermined length, the controller activates the paper forwarding device so as to forward a next document without being based on a detected result acquired by the document detector.

Abstract: A magnetic transfer wherein the exchange of master mediums is made easy to perform is provided, whereby the operational efficiency and transfer efficiency are improved, leading to an overall improvement in productivity in the manufacture of preformatted slave mediums. A master fixing base for determining and supporting the position of a master medium, which bears transfer data, and a conjoining apparatus for conjoining the master medium and the slave medium that is to receive the transfer therefrom are provided. The master medium is exchanged along with the master fixing base. It is preferable that a cleaning means be provided.

Abstract: In an image forming apparatus having a document feeder for taking up a document from a document bundle placed on a document tray, a controller has a normal mode to perform a normal-size conveyance control by taking up each document from a bundle of documents having the same size, a multi-size mode to perform a multi-size conveyance control by taking up each document from a bundle of documents having various sizes. When the normal mode is carried out, the controller controls to stop the document after the first preset time passes after the trailing edge of the document has been detected, and when multi-size mode is carried out, the controller controls in place of using the first preset time by the second preset time which is set to be a longer time than the first preset time.