Abstract: An apparatus and method for cleaning a plurality of drums in an image forming apparatus includes applying a first bias to each of a plurality of disturbing members, each disturbing member associated with a corresponding drum of a plurality of drums. While performing an image forming operation wherein at least one of the plurality of drums is not use, the bias is changed of a disturbing member corresponding to at least one of the plurality of drums not used in performing the image forming operation from the first bias to a second bias different from the first bias.

Abstract: In an image encoding/decoding device of the present invention, the prediction direction in a target block, i.e., a block which becomes the target of the intra-frame prediction processing, is estimated by taking advantage of pre-encoded blocks which are adjacent to the target block. First, as edge information on decoded images on the adjacent blocks, intensities and angles of the edges are calculated. Next, of the degrees of likelihood calculated with respect to each prediction direction by taking advantage of this edge information and, e.g., a neural network, the prediction direction whose degree of likelihood is the highest is employed as the prediction direction in the target block. Also, a variable-length code table is dynamically created based on the estimated result, which allows a significant reduction in the prediction-direction representing code amount.

Abstract: The present invention provides an image encoding/decoding technique that is capable of achieving the higher compression efficiency. An image encoding method comprises: an intra prediction step which performs intra prediction on a block basis to generate a predicted image; a subtraction step which calculates the difference in prediction between the predicted image generated by the intra prediction step and an original image; a frequency conversion step which performs frequency conversion processing for the difference in prediction; a quantization step which subjects the output of the frequency conversion step to quantization processing; and a variable-length encoding step which subjects the output of the quantization step to variable-length encoding processing; wherein the intra prediction encoding step predicts a target pixel to be encoded by use of pixel values of two reference pixels between which the target pixel to be encoded is located.

Abstract: It is an object of the invention to provide an image forming apparatus and an image forming method that can reduce generation of a waste toner. An image forming apparatus according to the invention includes an image bearing member on which a toner image is formed, a cleaner that transfers a toner image formed on the surface of the image bearing member and, then, removes a part of a toner remaining on the image bearing member and allows the remainder to pass as a passing toner, a passing toner amount detecting unit for detecting or estimating an amount of passing toner that passes the cleaner, and a cleaner control unit that sets, on the basis of an amount of passing toner detected by the passing toner amount detecting unit, a target value of the amount of passing toner and controls a cleaning operation by the cleaner.

Abstract: A connector terminal holding structure which holds a metallic connector terminal press-fitted into a resin case is provided. The connector terminal includes a terminal contact portion that has such a width as not to come in contact with a discharge hole of a through-groove provided in the resin case, a press-fitted width portion that is connected to the terminal contact portion and has such a width as to be press-fitted into the inner wall of the discharge hole, and an insertion position determination portion that determines an insertion position of the connector terminal. The connector terminal is inserted into the through-groove from the terminal contact portion so as to be exposed from the discharge hole, the insertion position of the connector terminal is determined by the insertion position determination portion, and only the vicinity of a leading end portion of the press-fitted width portion is press-fitted into and held by the inner wall of the discharge hole.

Abstract: A method for forming a multi-layer coating film by forming an undercoating film, a glittering material-containing base coating film and a clear coating film in this order on a substrate to be coated, in which a glittering material-containing base coating material for forming the glittering material-containing base coating film contains colloid particles containing a noble metal and/or a metal, a coating film-forming resin, and a mixed solvent containing an ester organic solvent having a boiling point of from 70 to 130° C. and a glycol or glycol ether organic solvent having a boiling point of from 115 to 230° C. at a mass mixing ratio of from 2/8 to 5/5.

Abstract: A method for forming a multi-layer coating film by forming an undercoating film, a glittering material-containing base coating film and a clear coating film in this order on a substrate to be coated, in which a glittering material-containing base coating material for forming the glittering material-containing base coating film contains colloid particles containing a noble metal and/or a metal, a coating film-forming resin, and a urea compound and/or a polysiloxane.

Abstract: A method for forming a multi-layer coating film by forming an undercoating film, a glittering material-containing base coating film and a clear coating film in this order on a substrate to be coated, in which a glittering material-containing base coating material for forming the glittering material-containing base coating film contains colloid particles containing a noble metal and/or a metal and a coating film-forming resin, and the undercoating film has a hue in a range of from +35 to +50 and ?35 to ?50 on a Munsell 100-hue ring with counterclockwise rotation on the hue ring being represented by from 0 to +50 and clockwise rotation being represented by from 0 to ?50 where a hue of plasmon coloration of the colloid particles containing a noble metal and/or a metal is 0 on the hue ring, and has a brightness of 9 or less on a Munsell color system, or the undercoating film has an achromatic color having a brightness of 4 or less on a Munsell color system.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for cleaning a plurality of drums in an image forming apparatus includes applying a first bias to each of a plurality of disturbing members, each disturbing member associated with a corresponding drum of a plurality of drums. While performing an image forming operation wherein at least one of the plurality of drums is not use, the bias is changed of a disturbing member corresponding to at least one of the plurality of drums not used in performing the image forming operation from the first bias to a second bias different from the first bias.

Abstract: To provide a stopper for a cutting tool capable of getting a correct depth required in a medical treatment field, even if a few kinds of a cutting tool are available, without preparing a many cutting tools, the stopper for a cutting tool is fitted to a rotary shaft of a cutting tool having the rotary shaft, the stopper includes a locking member which has a through hole contacting to the rotary shaft of the cutting tool, a clamping member which is made of a shape memory material, provided at the inner and/or outer side of the locking member and can deform the locking member by its recovering force, and a cutout part reaching to the through hole from an outer peripheral edge thereof in the longitudinal direction of the rotary shaft.

Abstract: In the intra-screen predictive coding according to the H.264/AVC, adjacent encoded pixels are used to perform prediction of a target block, so that the prediction needs to be performed by referencing spatially-separate pixels. As such, the prediction accuracy is not always sufficient. Adjacent pixels are always used to perform the intra-screen predictive coding and decoding. In the coding, the difference value (prediction residue) between the adjacent pixels is calculated in a certain direction (predicting direction) and encoded with the predicting direction. In the coding of each block, adjacent pixels may have not been encoded yet. In that case, the difference value between adjacent pixels in an original image is encoded. On the other hand, in the decoding, processing to add a value produced by decoding the previous pixel value and the prediction residue is repeated in a predicting direction to obtain a decoded image.

Abstract: A motor may include a stator provided with a plurality of salient poles and coils and a rotor provided with a permanent magnet. The stator is a stator in a concentrated winding system and the permanent magnet is structured of two magnetic poles which are provided with one “S”-pole and one “N”-pole. Each of the two magnetic poles is formed in an angular range of from 135° to 180° and the two magnetic poles are formed in the same angular range. Further, a rotor may include a protective layer having a fiber sheet hardened with resin for covering an outer peripheral side of a permanent magnet. The fiber sheet may include a first fiber sheet whose width dimension is narrower and a second fiber sheet whose width dimension equal to or more than that of the permanent magnet and the first fiber sheet and the second fiber sheet are wound around the outer peripheral side of the permanent magnet.

Abstract: A color image forming apparatus includes an intermediate transfer member, a first forming portion having a first transfer unit, a second forming portion provided downstream from the first forming portion, a third forming portion provided downstream from the second forming portion, a fourth forming portion provided downstream from the third forming portion, and a control portion. The control portion controls a bias of at least one of the corresponding developing unit and the corresponding transfer unit, when transfer of the toner image from the intermediate transfer member to the recording medium is completed, so that a toner-image residue toner material resting on the intermediate transfer member is returned to the corresponding developing unit through the image bearing member of at least one of the first to fourth forming portions.

Abstract: An image coding and decoding apparatus includes functions, in which an image of every block including either an entire input image or an image divided from the input image is compressed, a Radon transform is applied to the compressed image to generate a coefficient, the generated coefficient is transformed in a frequency, and the frequency transformed coefficient is quantized to generate coding data to generate a coding stream, in the encoding, and an inverse quantization is applied to a coding coefficient included in the coding stream to generate a coefficient, an inverse frequency transform is applied to the generated coefficient, an inverse Radon transform is applied to the inversed frequency transformed coefficient to generate a decompress image, an expand process is applied to the decompression image to decode a residual component, and a predicted image is synthesized with the residual component to generate a reconstructed image, in the decoding.

Abstract: To accurately fix and prevent to damage a fixture, a housing container for a fixture includes a housing main body 1 made of titanium, a titanium alloy, or glass and a cap 2 made of resin, the fixture X has an engaging hole Xa for an abutment having a larger cross section than that of a female screw part, the cap 2 which is fitted to an outer peripheral part at the fixture insert port side of the housing main body 1 has a stopper part 2a contacting with an upper face of the housing main body 1, and a rod 3 made of titanium or a titanium alloy at the inner side of the cap 2, and the rod 3 is inserted into the engaging hole Xa and/or contacted with an upper face Xb of the fixture X to prevent movement of the fixture X.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a method of and an apparatus for recording motion picture with higher compression efficiency. The method comprising the steps of: performing block-based motion search for an input picture to calculate a motion vector of each block; setting up blocks having a similar motion vector as a similar motion area, the similar motion vector included in calculated motion vectors; calculating a representative motion vector by use of a motion vector provided by each block included in the set similar motion area; selecting which of the calculated representative motion vector or the motion vector provided by each block is to be used, for each block; and generating encoded data by use of the motion vector selected based on the result of the selection and a prediction picture of each block generated using the motion vector.

Abstract: To provide a container for a fixture capable of preventing rotation of a fixture in a container when an implanting instrument is engaged with the fixture, easily engaging them, and easily taking out the fixture, the container to house a fixture X for a dental implant is made to have a main body 1 with one end having a fixture insert port 1a and the other end being closed to house the fixture X, a cap attached on the fixture insert port 1a side of the main body, and a rotation-preventing projection part 3 provided at the opposite side to the fixture insert port 1a side in the main body 1 to prevent rotation of the fixture X is housed while being engaged with a self tapping groove Xb of a top end of a male screw part of the fixture X.

Abstract: An active sensor 10 is positioned on an outside of a pipe 60 so as to detect a thickness of the pipe. The active sensor comprises: an oscillator 15 capable of inputting oscillatory waves into the pipe and sweeping a frequency of the oscillatory waves within a desired range; and an optical fiber sensor mounted on the pipe, the optical fiber sensor detecting the oscillatory waves generated in the pipe.

Abstract: A data managing system that collectively manages raw data obtained in any of X-ray CT apparatuses with the use of a network. Raw data transmitted from any of the X-ray CT apparatuses is stored in the data managing system, and baked up to various kinds of storage devices. Also, the raw data managed by the data managing system is transmitted, at a request, to an arbitrary X-ray CT apparatus at arbitrary timing to be reconstructed therein.

Abstract: In an image forming apparatus using simultaneous developing and cleaning type developing units, this invention installs brush members to disturb toners remaining on photosensitive drums movably in the direction to contact with photosensitive drums corresponding to the displacement of the surfaces of the photosensitive drums by empty weights and keep the ends of the brush members always in contact with the photosensitive drums.