Abstract: In a gas sensor (100), a base end portion (175b) of a second outer wall (175) of an outer protector (171) is airtightly connected to a forward end portion (164c) of a first inner wall (164) of an inner protector (161). The outer protector (171) has a taper wall (172) which is located on the axially forward end side of the second outer wall (175). The taper wall (172) has the shape of a tapered tube whose diameter decreases toward the axially forward end side, and has a second outer hole (176), which is a forward end opening. The entire taper wall (172) is disposed on the axially forward end side in relation to the inner bottom wall (162) of the inner protector (161).

Abstract: A spark plug includes: a rod-shaped center electrode extending in an axial direction; an insulator including a shaft hole that holds the center electrode inside of the shaft hole; a metal shell surrounding and holding a part of the insulator; and a ground electrode including a base end welded to the metal shell. The metal shell and the ground electrode are joined via a fusion portion formed by welding the ground electrode and the metal shell together. When the smallest thickness of the fusion portion in the axial direction is A, when, in a cross section that includes a center line of the ground electrode and is parallel to the axis, a length of a ground-electrode-side melted boundary formed between the fusion portion and the ground electrode is B, and when the ground electrode thickness is C, conditions of A?0.2 mm and B >C are satisfied.

Abstract: Embodiments disclosed herein include a method of manufacturing a multilayer wiring board that includes the steps of forming, on a support substrate, a laminate in which insulating layers and conductor layers are alternately laminated, accommodating a semiconductor chip in an opening of a prepreg which is formed on the surface of the laminate and that includes a sheet-like glass fiber impregnated with resin, and heating and pressurizing the surface of the prepreg in a state where the semiconductor chip is accommodated in the opening.

Abstract: Provided is a multilayer wiring substrate comprising a first build-up layer and a second build-up layer including at least one insulating layer and at least one conductor layer, and a supporting substrate that supports the first and second build-up layers on the upper surface and the lower surface thereof, respectively. The multilayer wiring substrate includes a through hole extending between the upper surface side and the lower surface side of the supporting substrate, the through hole including openings on an upper and a lower end side thereof, a through hole conductor which is formed on the inner circumferential surface of the through hole, a conductor layer which is formed as to cover the opening on the upper end side of the through hole, and a conductor layer which is formed in a periphery of the opening on the lower end side of the through hole without covering the opening.

Abstract: A spark plug includes a tubular metal shell extending in an axial direction, wherein the metal shell includes: an externally threaded portion formed on a tip end side of an outer periphery of the metal shell; a seat portion formed on a rear end side of the externally threaded portion in the axial direction and protruding radially outward; and a nickel layer provided on an outer surface of the metal shell, wherein the nickel layer contains phosphorus, and a phosphorus concentration in a portion in which a nickel concentration is 50 at % in a thickness direction of the nickel layer itself is 6 at % or more and 20 at % or less.

Abstract: A gas sensor control apparatus (1) for controlling a gas sensor (2) includes change amount detection means (40); element resistance detection means for detecting the element resistance Rpvs of a sensor element section (3) on the basis of the response change amount ?Vs; heater energization control means for on-off controlling the supply of electric current to a heater section (4) by pluses PS having a fixed period T; and instruction signal output means for instructing the change amount detection means (40) to detect the response change amount ?Vs at a third timing t3 which comes after elapse of a predetermined wait time TW from a second timing t2 (heater energization off) which changes in accordance with the pulse width PSW. Switching noise due to at least switching of the heater energization state at a timing which changes with pulse width does not adversely affect detection of the response change amount.

Abstract: A gas sensor element in which an adhesion layer (101) securing the adhesion of a sensing electrode (62) and protection layer (67) satisfies the following prescriptions (1) to (3): (1) when the number of raised portions (102) formed per mm2 on a surface of a base portion (103) is taken to be N, then 10?N?50; (2) when the average of the heights of the raised portions (102) protruding above the surface of the base portion (103) in a direction perpendicular to the surface of the base portion (103) is taken to be H, then 55?H?75 [?m]; and (3) when the outer diameter of the raised portions (102) is taken to be D, the number of raised portions (102) with 45<D<90 [?m] is 70% or more of the total number of raised portions (102).

Abstract: A method of setting a correction coefficient for correcting an oxygen concentration detected by a gas concentration detection apparatus, the method including the steps of obtaining a current value of current flowing in an oxygen pump cell of a gas sensor by exposing the gas sensor device to each of at least three or more sample gases of different known oxygen concentrations; calculating, after a corrected oxygen concentration is calculated using the current value and a correction value, a correction coefficient approximating a linear relationship between any one corrected oxygen concentration serving as a reference and two other corrected oxygen concentrations. Also disclosed is a gas concentration detection apparatus including a gas sensor device, a calculation means and a memory means for storing the correction coefficient obtained in accordance with the method.

Abstract: A gas sensor processing apparatus (1) which includes voltage shift means (11, 19, S1071) for shifting a detection element voltage VE produced between electrodes (3P, 3N) of a detection element (3) from a pre-shift voltage VE1 to a post-shift voltage VE2; recovery means (11, 19, S1072) for returning the detection element voltage VE from the post-shift voltage VE2 to the pre-shift voltage VE1 after the end of a voltage shift period TS in which the voltage VE is shifted by the voltage shift means; and deterioration index detection means S106-S107 for detecting a deterioration index ID representing the degree of deterioration of the detection element (3) on the basis of a voltage change in the recovery period TK in which the voltage VE is recovered by the recovery means.

Abstract: Embodiments provide a wiring board which is structured to be suitable for connection with components, whereby its reliability can be improved. An embodied wiring board of the invention has pads and a solder resist in which opening portions which expose the pads are formed. Protrusion-shaped members are fixed to some of the surfaces of the pads. The surfaces of the pads and the surfaces of the protrusion-shaped members are covered with solder bumps. The height of the solder bumps is larger than the height H1 and H2 of the protrusion-shaped members. The opening portions have different inner diameters, and the volume of the protrusion-shaped members increases as the diameter of the opening portion decreases.

Abstract: A ceramic heater having a substrate and a heat-generating element. The substrate is formed from an electrically insulating ceramic and extends rearward from the forward end of the ceramic heater in the direction of the axis. The heat-generating element has a heat-generating portion formed from an electrically conductive ceramic which contains silicon nitride and an electrically conductive material, disposed in a forward end portion of the substrate, and having a shape resembling the letter U as viewed along the direction of the axis. The heat-generating portion has a fracture toughness of 4.3 MPa·m0.5 or more.

Abstract: Embodiments of the presently-disclosed subject matter include a first laminated structure in which at least one conductor layer and at least one resin insulating layer are alternately formed is formed on a supporting substrate, and a core substrate is formed so as to come into contact with the conductor layer which is the uppermost layer of the first laminated structure. Then, laser light is emitted to the core substrate to form a through hole and a metal layer is formed in the through hole. Then, a second laminated structure including at least one conductor layer and at least one resin insulating layer is formed on the core substrate. At that time, the thickness of the conductor layer which is the uppermost layer of the first laminated structure is greater than that of the other conductor layers.

Abstract: Embodiments of the presently-disclosed subject matter include a multilayer wiring substrate including a first laminated structure that includes at least one conductive layer and at least one resin insulating layer; a core substrate that includes a reinforced fiber and that is laminated on the first laminated structure; and a second laminated structure that includes at least one conductive layer and at least one resin insulating layer and that is formed on the core substrate; and a plurality of via conductors which penetrate the first laminated structure, the core substrate, and the second laminated structure in the thickness direction, wherein the plurality of via conductors all expand in diameter in one direction, and the reinforced fiber is located above a center of the core substrate in the thickness direction.

Abstract: A CPU (11) of an ECU (5) obtains the present exhaust gas temperature from temperature sensor (3), and calculates the difference with an exhaust gas temperature obtained in a previous computation cycle. When the exhaust gas temperature tends to increase, the absolute value of the difference is equal to or greater than 20° C., and a flag indicating that the processing of correcting a target impedance of a cell (21) of an oxygen sensor (2) is being performed is OFF, the CPU determines that the engine is in a transition period. The CPU then obtains a correction value for the target impedance of the cell of the oxygen sensor on the basis of the exhaust gas temperature. The CPU corrects the target impedance of the cell by the correction value, and feedback-controls electric power supplied to a heater (26) on the basis of the corrected target impedance.

Abstract: A spark plug comprises an insulator and a metal shell. The insulator includes a nose length portion at the forward end, and a tapered portion, extending from the rear end of the nose length portion toward the rear end of the insulator, increased in diameter toward the rear end. The metal shell includes a shoulder portion, protruding inward and having a retaining surface by which the tapered portion is retained, and a male thread portion on the outer peripheral side of the shoulder portion, and the thread diameter of the male thread portion is set to M12 or less. When the insulator's cross-sectional area, perpendicular to an axis, passing through the boundary between the nose length section and tapered portion is B (mm2), and the metal shell's cross-sectional area, perpendicular to the axis, passing through the tip of the retaining surface is C (mm2), 2.80?C/B?3.50 is satisfied.

Abstract: A sensor control device for connection to an oxygen sensor including a sensing element that measures oxygen concentration in an intake atmosphere of an internal combustion engine and a heater that heats the sensing element, including a detection unit that detects an output signal corresponding to the oxygen concentration output from the sensing element and a calculation unit that calculates a compensation coefficient of the output signal that is used when calculating the oxygen concentration. The calculation unit collects compensation information used in calculating the compensation coefficient when the internal combustion engine is in operation and in a specific operation state in which the oxygen concentration in the intake atmosphere is subject to estimation. Also disclosed is a sensor control system which includes an oxygen sensor and the sensor control device.

Abstract: A ceramic substrate includes: a substrate body formed by laminating a plurality of ceramic layers and including a first and second opposing principal surfaces and a peripheral portion having a positioning portion; a first conductor pad formed on the first principal surface; a second conductor pad formed on the second principal surface and having a diameter smaller than that of the first conductor pad. The positioning portion includes first and second through holes that individually pass through respective ceramic layers and are connected to each other in an axial direction. The first through hole passes through the first principal surface. The second through hole passes through the second principal surface and has a cross-sectional area that is smaller than that of the first through hole. At least apart of a peripheral edge of a ceramic layer defining the second through hole is visible through the first through hole.

Abstract: A method of manufacturing a multilayer wiring substrate includes: a first laminate structure formation step of forming a first laminate structure on a support substrate, the first laminate structure including at least one conductor layer and at least one resin insulation layer; a core substrate formation step of laminating a core substrate on the first laminate structure such that a lower main surface of the core substrate comes in contact with the first laminate structure, the core substrate having a metal layer provided on an upper main surface thereof; and a second laminate structure formation step of forming a second laminate structure on the core substrate such that the second laminate structure covers the metal layer, the second laminate structure including at least one conductor layer and at least one resin insulation layer.

Abstract: A gas sensor element (100) includes a laminate of a detection element (300) and a heater (200), and a porous protection layer (20) covering a forward end portion thereof. The laminate has a measuring chamber (107c) into which a gas-to-be-measured is introduced via a diffusion resistor (115). The porous protection layer includes an inner porous layer (21), and an outer porous layer (23). The inner porous layer has a higher porosity than the outer porous layer and the diffusion resistor. As viewed in a plurality of 100 ?m×100 ?m regions a1 to a3 and b1 to b3 on sections of the inner porous layer and the diffusion resistor, respectively, a pore diameter greater than the greatest pore diameter CDIF in the regions of the diffusion resistor exists in each of the regions of the inner porous layer.

Abstract: Embodiments of the present invention provide a wiring substrate that includes a structure where a plurality of projection electrodes are arranged within an electrode formation region on a substrate main surface. At least one among the plurality of projection electrodes has a larger outer diameter than an outer diameter of a via conductor and is a variant projection electrode which has a roughened upper surface. Embodiments of the present invention also provide methods for manufacturing wiring substrates having one or more of said variant projection electrode.