Abstract: There is provided a structure for connecting a piston to a crankshaft in an internal combustion engine, including a piston pin fitted into the piston, a crankpin integral with the crankshaft and a connecting rod having a piston pin bearing portion slidably engaged with an outer cylindrical portion of the piston pin and a crankpin bearing portion slidably engaged with an outer cylindrical portion of the crankpin. At least one of the piston pin bearing portion of the connecting rod and the outer cylindrical portion of the piston pin and at least one of the crankpin bearing portion of the connecting rod and the outer cylindrical portion of the crankpin have hard carbon coatings formed thereon with a hydrogen content of 20 atomic % or less.

Abstract: A silicon-containing insulation film is formed on a substrate by plasma polymerization by introducing a reaction gas comprising (i) a source gas comprising a silicon-containing hydrocarbon compound containing at least one vinyl group (Si-vinyl compound), and (ii) an additive gas, into a reaction chamber where a substrate is placed; and applying radio-frequency power to the gas to cause plasma polymerization, thereby depositing an insulation film on the substrate.

Abstract: A chain drive system includes a drive sprocket, a driven sprocket and a chain looped over the drive sprocket and the driven sprocket. The chain and the sprocket having respective sliding surfaces slidable relative to each other in the presence of lubricating oil, and any adjacent chain components of the chain having respective sliding surfaces slidable relative to each other in the presence of lubricating oil. At least one of the sliding surfaces between the chain and the sprocket and at least one of the sliding surfaces between any adjacent chain components have hard carbon coatings formed on base portions thereof. Each of the hard carbon coatings has a hydrogen content of 10 atomic % or less.

Abstract: An insulation film is formed on a semiconductor substrate by vaporizing a silicon-containing hydrocarbon compound to provide a source gas, introducing a reaction gas composed of the source gas and an additive gas such as an inert gas and oxidizing gas to a reaction space of a plasma CVD apparatus. The residence time of the reaction gas in the reaction space is lengthened by reducing the total flow of the reaction gas in such a way as to form a siloxan polymer film with a low dielectric constant.

Abstract: A connecting rod of an internal combustion engine, comprising a connecting beam section serving as a main body of the connecting rod. Big and small ends are located at the opposite ends of the connecting beam section. A first joining section is located between the connecting beam section and the big end to connect the connecting beam section and the big end. A second joining section is located between the connecting beam section and the small end to connect the connecting beam section and the small end. In this connecting rod, each of the first and second joining sections gradually and continuously decreases in cross sectional area toward the connecting beam section and has a strength distribution in which a strength increases with a decrease in the cross sectional area.

Abstract: The data processing system includes I/O units for transmitting and receiving data, control units for processing the data, and a common bus unit including a common bus. Function cards in each unit are daisy-chained to I/O buses having characteristics to support hot-swapping, and both ends of the I/O buses are terminated with resistors respectively. The units are daisy-chained to the common bus, and both ends of the common bus are terminated with resistors respectively. Drivers/receivers drive each bus to transmit and receive data between the common bus and the I/O buses.

Abstract: Real-time optimization is conducted for a control device having a fuzzy inference system that can optimize characteristics of the control device in real time, by coding parameters used in the fuzzy inference system into chromosomes, and optimizing in real time the output of the control device by subjecting the chromosomes to evolutionary computation. Coding is conducted by (i) revising a matrix of fuzzy rules used in the system by extracting a section from the matrix and coding elements of the section into chromosomes; (ii) modifying the configuration of the fuzzy rule matrix defined by membership functions by coding elements of the membership functions into chromosomes; or (iii) changing a level of an input of the parameters and a level of an output of the fuzzy inference system.

Abstract: A technique for estimating the best children (i.e. the next generation of individual chromosomes) for use by an online genetic analyzer (GA) is described. One embodiment provides a method for evaluation of a GA in a control system for controlling a plant. Individuals are evaluated using data for evaluation. The data for evaluation is categorized into subdomains of a larger evaluating domain. Data for evaluation is sorted into an evaluation domain wherein an evaluation value of each individual is replaced by a model of coefficients relative to a standard model. The standard model is used to calculate an evaluation value. The evaluation value can include a mean value and/or a distribution. Moreover, the mean value and distribution can be valid for an area including a periphery of the subdomain. The evaluation value can be calculated as a model obtained by using a least-squares method to find coefficients relative to coefficients of the standard model.

Abstract: A method for dry-etching a Si substrate or a Si layer in a processing chamber includes the step of supplying an etching gas into the processing chamber, wherein the etching gas is a mixture gas including Cl2, O2 and NF3 and a residence time &tgr; of the etching gas is equal to or greater than about 180 msec, the residence time &tgr; being defined as:

Abstract: A hard film is formed on an insulation film formed on a semiconductor substrate by vaporizing a silicon-containing hydrocarbon compound to provide a source gas, introducing a reaction gas composed of the source gas and optionally an additive gas such as alcohol to a reaction space of a plasma CVD apparatus, and applying low-frequency RF power and high-frequency RF power. The silicon-containing hydrocarbon compound includes a cyclic Si-containing hydrocarbon compound and/or a linear Si-containing hydrocarbon compound, as a basal structure, with reactive groups for form oligomers using the basal structure. The residence time of the reaction gas in the reaction space is lengthened by reducing the total flow of the reaction gas in such a way as to form a siloxan polymer film with a low dielectric constant.

Abstract: An insulation film is formed on a semiconductor substrate by vaporizing a silicon-containing hydrocarbon compound to provide a source gas, introducing a reaction gas composed of the source gas and an additive gas such as an inert gas and oxidizing gas to a reaction space of a plasma CVD apparatus. The silicon-containing hydrocarbon compound includes a cyclosiloxan compound or a linear siloxan compound, as a basal structure, with reactive groups for form oligomers using the basal structure. The residence time of the reaction gas in the reaction space is lengthened by reducing the total flow of the reaction gas in such a way as to form a siloxan polymer film with a. low dielectric constant.

Abstract: A reduced control system suitable for control of an engine as a nonlinear plant is described. The reduced control system is configured to use a reduced sensor set for controlling the plant without significant loss of control quality (accuracy) as compared to an optimal control system with an optimum sensor set. The control system calculates the information content provided by the reduced sensor set as compared to the information content provided by the optimum set. The control system also calculates the difference between the entropy production rate of the plant and the entropy production rate of the controller. A genetic optimizer is used to tune a fuzzy neural network in the reduced controller. A fitness function for the genetic optimizer provides optimum control accuracy in the reduced control system by minimizing the difference in entropy production while maximizing the sensor information content.

Abstract: An insulation film is formed on a semiconductor substrate by vaporizing a silicon-containing hydrocarbon compound to provide a source gas, introducing a reaction gas composed of the source gas and an additive gas such as an inert gas and oxidizing gas to a reaction space of a plasma CVD apparatus. The residence time of the reaction gas in the reaction space is lengthened by reducing the total flow of the reaction gas in such a way as to form a siloxan polymer film with a low dielectric constant.

Abstract: A method for managing files in a library in a manner to access files in a library operating with a plurality of preservation recording media storing data as files, while copying data more highly required to be reproduced to another storage device of high-speed access, including recording a playback request of the file when required; creating frequency information of the playback request of each file according to the playback request; and copying a file that is judged to have very frequent playback request, at specified time intervals or when the number of the playback requests reaches a specified value. Therefore, more requests from terminal units can be accepted to transmit files than when copied only to a hard disk as the storage device of high-speed access.

Abstract: The invention provides a pilot control device that enables optimum pilot depending on user's preference and use environment. The pilot control device includes a control module and an optimum process device, with regard to a watercraft having an apparatus affecting pilot control. The control module determines output regarding a manipulated variable of the device affecting pilot control based on predetermined input information. The optimum process device optimizes, in real time, the control module, with the characteristics of a watercraft as an evaluation subject.