Abstract: A VVT has a movable restriction member and a restriction slot. When the restriction member is in a projected position, the VVT is variable in a restricted range to which the restriction member can be rotatable within the restriction slot. When the restriction member is in a retracted position, the VVT is variable in a range wider than the restricted range. When a condition where the restriction member shall be projected is satisfied, if the variable range of the VVT reaches beyond the restricted range, the device determines that the restriction member is stuck at the retracted position. When a condition where the restriction member shall be retracted is satisfied, if the variable range of the VVT is restricted in the restricted range, the device determines that the restriction member is stuck at the projected position.

Abstract: A control device projects a lock pin to lock a VCT phase in an intermediate lock phase when a lock request occurs. A learning unit learns one of a most retarded phase, a most advanced phase, and an intermediate lock phase, as a reference phase. A control unit sets a target phase according to the reference phase and controls the control device. A monitor unit determines that the VCT phase has passed through the intermediate lock phase when the lock request occurs before completion of learning of the reference phase, and when a change in the VCT phase becomes greater than a threshold. The threshold is set to be greater than a sum of i) a design value of a phase difference between the intermediate lock phase and one of the most retarded phase and the most advanced phase and ii) a range of a product variation of the phase difference.

Abstract: In a variable valve timing control apparatus, a hydraulic variable valve timing device adjusts valve timing by changing a VCT phase. In a lock mode, the lock pin is allowed to be displaced in a lock direction for locking the VCT phase, and the VCT phase is slightly shifted in a lock-mode VCT phase shift direction corresponding to one of an advance direction and a retard direction. A lock control unit shifts the VCT phase in a direction opposite from the VCT phase shift direction if the VCT phase is located on a lock-mode VCT phase shift direction side of the intermediate lock position when the engine becomes equal to or less than a first rotational speed, and otherwise the lock control unit allows the lock pin to be displaced in the lock direction.

Abstract: A variable valve timing control apparatus adjusts the rotation phase (VCT phase) of an engine camshaft by selectively supplying oil to an advancement chamber and a retardation chamber, and includes a lock pin which is controlled for being moveable to a first position, in which the rotation phase is adjustable, and a second position, in which the camshaft is locked at a specific rotation phase. When the lock pin is displaced from the first position, oil becomes enabled to pass between the advancement chamber and retardation chamber, to thereby enabling the rotation phase to be changed to the specific rotation phase by supplying oil to an appropriate one of the advancement chamber and a retardation chamber, for initiating locking.

Abstract: A valve timing control apparatus for a valve timing adjustment mechanism that adjusts timing of opening and closing an intake or exhaust valve of an engine includes an output-side rotor, a cam-side rotor, a hydraulic pump, a control device, a control valve, a storage device. The control device outputs a signal associated with rotation of one of the rotors relative to the other one. The control valve controls the speed of the rotation. The storage device prestores standard data indicating a predetermined relation between a dead zone width and a parameter correlated with the dead zone width for each hydraulic oil temperature. A value of the parameter of the adjustment mechanism during a hold state is learned by changing the signal. The control device computes the signal based on the value learned, the standard data, and hydraulic oil temperature.

Abstract: A polarizing plate for a liquid crystal display is provided and includes a first protective film, a polarizer, a second protective film and a light diffusion layer in order. The light diffusion layer is a layer including a translucent resin and translucent particles having a refractive index different from a refractive index of the translucent resin. The internal haze of the light diffusion layer is 45% to 80%.

Abstract: An electronic image into which an electronic watermark is to be embedded is divided into a plurality of image regions spatially, and pixels each having a property of being difficult to visually recognize a variation in a pixel value are extracted as adaptive pixels from each of the plurality of image regions. A variation between the pixel values of the adaptive pixels in one of the plurality of image regions and those of the adaptive pixels in an adjacent one of the plurality of image regions is produced, and the pixel values of the adaptive pixels of the plurality of image regions are varied in a time direction according to the value of an embedded bit set of the electronic watermark. An electronic-watermark-embedded image is then generated by making the variation in the pixel values of the adaptive pixels vary step by step at a boundary between the two of the plurality of image regions and/or in the time direction so that the variation makes a slow transition.

Abstract: A novel polarizing plate is disclosed. The polarizing plate comprises at least a polarizing film, a pressure-sensitive adhesive layer, and an optical compensation sheet, having an absolute value of Y, defined by the following equation, equal to or smaller than 6.0×10?4: Y=?7.0×105×Cn+4.3×10?13×E?1.34×10?3 where Cn (1/Pa) is photoelastic modulus of said pressure-sensitive adhesive layer and E (Pa) is modulus of elasticity of said optical compensation sheet.

Abstract: Disclosed is an image forming apparatus, which comprises an image bearing member on which a toner image is formed, a sweep roller for removing residual toner particles from the image bearing member, and a recovery roller for recovering the toner particles from the sweep roller. The recovery roller has a diameter of 10 mm or less, and a surface roughness Rz of 1.6 ?m to 6.4 ?m.

Abstract: A cleaning article 10 having a flat tubular pocket 15 and attachable to a holder by inserting the holder into the pocket 15. The pocket 15 is formed by joining pocket-forming sheets 13 facing each other. At least one fiber layer formed of a fiber bundle, accordingly two fiber layers 11A and 11B are provided on each of the upper and lower sides of the pocket 15 of the pocket-forming sheets 13. Each of the first fiber layers 11A closest to the pocket-forming sheets 13 is joined to the respective pocket-forming sheet 13 by a continuous central linear seal 16A continuously extending in the longitudinal direction in a laterally middle portion and a discontinuous side seal 16B discontinuously extending in the longitudinal direction at a position laterally spaced away in at least one of the lateral directions from the central continuous linear seal 16A.

Abstract: An image display device provided with a panel comprising a substrate comprising glass or resin, a front side laminated body and a back side laminated body, and an optical member adjacent to the back side laminated body, wherein the surface of the optical member going to contact with the back side laminated body has an arithmetic average roughness (Ra) of 6 ?m or more. The image display device can maintain excellent display performance under conditions with significant circumstance variations.

Abstract: When a variable valve lift control apparatus is in a steady condition, a fluctuation control is performed. In the fluctuation control, a target lift amount is increased by a fluctuation width during an up-time and then the target lift amount is decreased by the fluctuation width during a down-time which is longer than the up-time to be returned to an original value. A decreasing amount of the integral term is greater than the increasing amount thereof. Consequently, the integral term can be made smaller than the original value. Even when a control duty is a larger value due to a hysteresis, the fluctuation control gradually decreases the increment of the integral term and converges the control duty to the small value.

Abstract: A cleaning sheet (1) includes at least one continuous-filament aggregate (10) formed by aggregating and orienting a multitude of continuous filaments (11) substantially in one orientation direction. The continuous filaments (11) are joined by a single first joining line (12) extending continuously in a direction orthogonal to the orientation direction of the continuous filaments (11) and are joined by a plurality of second joining lines (13) extending in the orientation direction. In this way, the continuous filaments (11) in the continuous-filament aggregate (10) are kept in an aggregated state. Preferably, the second joining lines (13) are connected to the first joining line (12).

Abstract: The image forming unit 100 includes a photosensitive drum 11, a rotary developing device 30, and a rotation speed control device 70. Electrostatic latent images are formed on the surface of the photosensitive drum 11. The rotary developing device 30 includes a plurality of developing apparatuses 13 having a developing roller 14 disposed in opposition to the photosensitive drum 11, and a distance regulating collar 73 that regulates the distance between the photosensitive drum 11 and the developing roller 14. The rotation speed control device 70 includes a rotation speed control device 71 that controls the rotation speed of the rotary developing device 30 so that for a predetermined period of time until the developing apparatus 13 reaches the developing position the rotation speed of the photosensitive drum 11 and the movement speed in the circumferential direction of the distance regulating collar 73 are equal.

Abstract: A developing device includes a container storing a two-component developer including a toner and a carrier, a toner carrying body carrying the toner in the container and supplying the toner to a predetermined image carrying body by rotation, a restricting member held in press contact with the toner carrying body, and a restricting nip section formed between the toner carrying body and the restricting member. The restricting nip section selects only the toner in the two-component developer to form a uniform toner layer on the toner carrying body.

Abstract: A construction vehicle includes an engine, a hydraulic pump driven by the engine, a travel hydraulic motor driven by pressure oil discharged from the hydraulic pump, travel wheels driven by the drive force of the travel hydraulic motor, and a controller. The controller is configured to control an engine speed, displacement of the hydraulic pump, and displacement of the travel hydraulic motor in order to control a vehicle speed and the traction force. The controller is further configured to increase a maximum displacement of the travel hydraulic motor as the vehicle speed decreases within a low speed range in which the vehicle speed is equal to or less than a predetermined threshold.

Abstract: A valve timing control apparatus for a valve timing adjustment mechanism that adjusts timing of opening and closing an intake or exhaust valve of an engine includes an output-side rotor, a cam-side rotors a hydraulic pump, a control device, a control valve, a storage device. The control device outputs a signal associated with rotation of one of the rotors relative to the other one. The control valve controls the speed of the rotation. The storage device prestores standard data indicating a predetermined relation between a dead zone width and a parameter correlated with the dead zone width for each hydraulic oil temperature. A value of the parameter of the adjustment mechanism during a hold state is learned by changing the signal. The control device computes the signal based on the value learned, the standard data, and hydraulic oil temperature.

Abstract: A cleaning implement 1 including a cleaning article 10 having a pocket 15 and a holder 20 adapted to be inserted into the pocket 15 to hold the cleaning article 10. The pocket 15 of the cleaning article 10 has a counter bumping portion 18 in the middle between the inlet opening at one end and the opposing end thereof. The holder 20 includes a handle 21, an insertion portion 22 extending from one end of the handle 21, and a retaining means 24 for retaining the vicinity of the inlet opening of the cleaning article 10. The insertion portion 22 has a bumping portion 23 that allows the insertion portion 22 to be inserted into the pocket 15 with no substantial obstruction until it reaches a bumping position where it bumps against the counter bumping portion 18 and then restricts further insertion beyond the bumping position.

Abstract: A wheel loader automatically adjusts the bucket angle with respect to the ground. The wheel loader includes a hydraulic pump, a tilt cylinder and a tilt valve, a detector which detects that the tilt cylinder is at a control origin, a target setting device which sets a target value for the length of the tilt cylinder, and a control device. The control device calculates a required oil amount for the tilt cylinder to arrive from the control origin to the target length, calculates an oil amount distributed to the tilt cylinder after it has arrived at the control origin, and stops the operation of the tilt cylinder when the distributed oil amount reaches the required amount.