Abstract: An encoder includes a disc and a sensor. The disc has a circular surface with a central axis and is rotatable around the central axis. The disc has a slit row provided on the circular surface. The slit row includes slits arranged in a circumferential direction of the circular surface around the central axis and in a radial direction of the circular surface. The sensor is provided opposite to the slit row on circular surface. The sensor has a first light receiver and a second light receiver. The first light receiver is configured to output a first light receiving signal as the slit row rotates along the circumferential direction when the disc rotates around the central axis. The second light receiver is configured to output a second light receiving signal as the slit row moves along the radial direction when the disc rotates around the central axis.

Abstract: It is possible to improve a measurement accuracy of a liquid flow volume, thereby improving reproducibility of a measured value. Provided is a flow volume measuring device including a light source which emits light to a measuring-target region; a light receiving element which receives light scattered at the measuring-target region from the light emitted from the light source; a contact member having translucency with respect to a wavelength of the emitted light and a wavelength of the scattered light, the contact member including a surface which faces the measuring-target region and with which the measuring-target region is contactable over the entire surface; and a flow volume measuring unit which measures a flow volume of liquid flowing through the measuring-target region based upon the scattered light.

Abstract: There is provided a liquid ejecting apparatus including: a liquid-ejecting-portion configured to eject a liquid from a nozzle; a cap configured to be relatively move with respect to the liquid-ejecting-portion and configured to form a closed space in which the nozzle is open between the cap and the liquid-ejecting-portion; a negative-pressure-generation-mechanism configured to generate a negative pressure; a pressure chamber configured to accumulate the negative pressure by driving the negative-pressure-generation-mechanism; a discharge flow path that communicates with the cap and the pressure chamber; a discharge flow path opening/closing mechanism configured to open and close the discharge flow path; a volume variable mechanism configured to change a volume of the pressure chamber; and a controller that controls the negative-pressure generation-mechanism, the discharge flow path opening/closing mechanism, and the volume variable mechanism.

Abstract: A sound producing device in which an adhesive layer between a piezoelectric element and a metal plate has sufficient electrical conductivity includes: a metal plate; a piezoelectric ceramic including a first adhesion surface, the first adhesion surface being a surface bonded to the metal plate; an alternating current power supply that applies an alternating voltage to the piezoelectric ceramic; and an adhesive layer formed from conductive adhesive and thermosetting adhesive which are spread over the first adhesion surface, the conductive adhesive being applied in a center portion of the first adhesion surface and the thermosetting adhesive being applied at three or more locations in a periphery of the first adhesion surface. An adhesion surface of the metal plate that is bonded to the piezoelectric ceramic is a second adhesion surface, and the first adhesion surface and the second adhesion surface are bonded together by the adhesive layer.

Abstract: A tape winding device includes a fixed plate having a fixed plate side notch, a rotation plate having a rotation plate side notch which the linear member to be inserted into or removed from when a position of the rotation plate side notch is aligned with a position of the fixed plate side notch, a tape support unit and a position regulating member configured to regulate a position of the linear member in the fixed plate side notch and the rotation plate side notch such that the linear member is located at the bottom region of the fixed plate side notch and the rotation plate side notch, the position regulating member having a distal end arm portion, the distal end arm portion running across an opening of the fixed plate side notch and extending over two opposing inner edges of the fixed plate side notch at a regulation position.

Abstract: A cable includes: a core; a first insulating layer that has a property biased toward positive polarity or negative polarity in a triboelectric series and coats the core; an (n+1)-th insulating layer that has a property biased toward a polarity opposite to a polarity of an n-th insulating layer and coats the n-th insulating layer, N being a natural number not less than 2, n being 1, . . . , N?1; a braid that coats the N-th insulating layer; and a sheath that coats the braid.

Abstract: A decorative board in the present disclosure includes a primer layer, a concealing layer, a colorant layer and a topcoat layer containing ultraviolet-curable resin on a base material in this order. A method for manufacturing the decorative board in the present disclosure includes a stretching process, an irradiation process, and a separation process. The stretching process includes forming the primer layer, the concealing layer, and the colorant layer on the base material in this order; applying a ultraviolet-curable coating material containing ultraviolet-curable resin; placing a plastic film on the applied ultraviolet-curable coating material, placing a roller on the plastic film, and stretching the ultraviolet-curable coating material by rolling the roller. The irradiation process includes forming the topcoat layer by hardening the ultraviolet-curable coating material by ultraviolet ray irradiation. The separation process includes separating the plastic film after the irradiation.

Abstract: There is provided a liquid ejecting apparatus including: a liquid-ejecting-portion configured to eject a liquid from a nozzle; a cap configured to be relatively move with respect to the liquid-ejecting-portion and configured to form a closed space in which the nozzle is open between the cap and the liquid-ejecting-portion; a negative-pressure-generation-mechanism configured to generate a negative pressure; a pressure chamber configured to accumulate the negative pressure by driving the negative-pressure-generation-mechanism; a discharge flow path that communicates with the cap and the pressure chamber; a discharge flow path opening/closing mechanism configured to open and close the discharge flow path; a volume variable mechanism configured to change a volume of the pressure chamber; and a controller that controls the negative-pressure generation-mechanism, the discharge flow path opening/closing mechanism, and the volume variable mechanism.

Abstract: An object of the present invention is to, in high-energy beam welding, improve accuracy of determining a welding quality or accuracy of maintaining a certain welding quality by feedback, thereby improving efficiency of manufacturing a welded product, i.e., a yield. One aspect of the present invention acquires an image of a molten pool by a camera, acquires a width, a length, and an area of the molten pool by image processing, further acquires reflected light, plasma, and thermal radiation light by an optical sensor, and carries out a multiple regression analysis with use of the above-described signals and a signal having an interaction effect among them, thereby accurately predicting a weld penetration depth and thus accurately determining the welding quality.

Abstract: An endoscope reprocessor includes: a medicinal solution storage portion configured to store a medicinal solution; a sampling tube including a first end portion opened inside the medicinal solution storage portion, and a second end portion opened outside the medicinal solution storage portion; a first chamber, inside which the second end portion of the sampling tube is opened; a second chamber where an opening portion and a communication port communicated with the first chamber are formed; a constricted portion configured to connect the first chamber and the communication port; a first advancing/retreating portion configured to advance and retreat between a first position to block the constricted portion and a second position to open the constricted portion inside the first chamber.

Abstract: A battery manufacturing method has a first depressurization step of depressurizing the inside of a liquid injecting chamber, an injection step of injecting, in the inside of the liquid injecting chamber, a liquid electrolyte into the battery through an opening portion formed at the top end of an outer case body of the battery, a second depressurization step of depressurizing the inside of a sealing chamber and a sealing step of sealing the opening portion in the inside of the sealing chamber. Vacuum attainment time until the pressure of the inside of the liquid injecting chamber becomes at a predetermined vacuum degree is measured in the first depressurization step, and if this vacuum attainment time exceeds a first threshold, a depressurization rate is reduced and a depressurization time is extended.

Abstract: A device for injecting a liquid electrolyte into a battery addresses a problem that the injection amount of the liquid electrolyte becomes excessive because the liquid electrolyte volatizes at injection if remaining in a chamber. The device has a liquid injecting pump for injecting the liquid electrolyte into the battery positioned inside the chamber which has been sealed in a depressurized state and a vacuum pump for depressurizing the inside of the chamber. A vacuum attainment time until a pressure of the inside of the chamber becomes in a predetermined vacuum state is measured, and if this vacuum attainment time becomes longer than a predetermined value, the injection amount of the liquid electrolyte is corrected downwards.

Abstract: An endoscope reprocessor includes: a medicinal solution storage portion configured to store a medicinal solution; a sampling tube including a first end portion opened inside the medicinal solution storage portion, and a second end portion opened outside the medicinal solution storage portion; a first chamber, inside which the second end portion of the sampling tube is opened; a second chamber where an opening portion and a communication port communicated with the first chamber are formed; a constricted portion configured to connect the first chamber and the communication port; a first advancing/retreating portion configured to advance and retreat between a first position to block the constricted portion and a second position to open the constricted portion inside the first chamber.

Abstract: A battery manufacturing method has a first depressurization step of depressurizing the inside of a liquid injecting chamber, an injection step of injecting, in the inside of the liquid injecting chamber, a liquid electrolyte into the battery through an opening portion formed at the top end of an outer case body of the battery, a second depressurization step of depressurizing the inside of a sealing chamber and a sealing step of sealing the opening portion in the inside of the sealing chamber. Vacuum attainment time until the pressure of the inside of the liquid injecting chamber becomes at a predetermined vacuum degree is measured in the first depressurization step, and if this vacuum attainment time exceeds a first threshold, a depressurization rate is reduced and a depressurization time is extended.

Abstract: A device for injecting a liquid electrolyte into a battery addresses a problem that the injection amount of the liquid electrolyte becomes excessive because the liquid electrolyte volatizes at injection if remaining in a chamber. The device has a liquid injecting pump for injecting the liquid electrolyte into the battery positioned inside the chamber which has been sealed in a depressurized state and a vacuum pump for depressurizing the inside of the chamber. A vacuum attainment time until a pressure of the inside of the chamber becomes in a predetermined vacuum state is measured, and if this vacuum attainment time becomes longer than a predetermined value, the injection amount of the liquid electrolyte is corrected downwards.

Abstract: An object is to provide a technique for manufacturing an outer covering rubber having high-voltage electrical insulation characteristics and mechanical characteristics, which are required for a polymer insulator, by decreasing an amount of an additive conducive to improvement in high-voltage electrical insulation characteristics to less than conventional 3% by mass, without using special additional equipment such as ultrasonic agitation. Provided is an outer covering rubber for a polymer insulator, which is obtained by adding an additive conducive to improvement in high-voltage electrical insulation characteristics to a rubber composition, and the additive is a fine powder obtained by crushing a ceramic hydrate into a particle size of 100 nm or less, and the amount of the additive is 0.5 to 2.5% by mass in the entire raw materials of the outer covering rubber for a polymer insulator.

Abstract: A toner containing toner base particles and an external additive, wherein regions with different tribocharging polarities with respect to a magnetic carrier are present in a domain-matrix structure on the surface of the toner base particles. The island region B has a predetermined height, the external additive has a reverse polarity to the region B in terms of tribocharging polarity to the magnetic carrier, the external additive contains a first external additive having a number-average primary particle size of 80-150 nm and a second external additive having a number-average primary particle size of 10-60 nm, and an average coverage Cb (%) with the first external additive in the region B is 27-100% and a coverage Ca (%) with the first external additive in the sea region A is 12% or less.

Abstract: A composition has an immunomodulation action, and comprises an RNA derived from a lactic acid bacterium as an effective component. Alternatively, a composition has a cytokine production-modulating action, and includes an RNA derived from a lactic acid bacterium as an effective component.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes movable first and second image bearing members, latent image forming units that form electrostatic latent images and latent index patterns, a movable belt member contacting the image bearing members, toner image transfer members that transfer toner images, obtained by depositing toner on the latent images, onto the belt member, latent pattern detectors that detect the latent index patterns, an adjusting portion that adjusts relative positions between the latent index patterns on the basis of detection results of the detectors, and a setting portion that sets a latent pattern transfer voltage, during image formation, on the basis of a detection result of one of the latent pattern detectors on condition that a plurality of test voltages are applied to one of the latent pattern transfer member during non-image formation.

Abstract: A fluid container unit including: a container coupling for coupling a supply/discharge port of a first container with a supply/discharge port of a second container; a single nozzle member having a nozzle tube; a connection cap having a first end for holding a base portion of the nozzle member and a second end for covering one side of the container coupling by fitting around an outer periphery thereof; an intermediate adaptor having a pair of pusher elements facing the first and the second supply/discharge ports, respectively; and a supply/discharge port opening mechanism for moving the intermediate adaptor toward the container coupling and opening the supply/discharge ports by the pusher elements. The pusher elements are movably held in a direction along a longitudinal axis of the nozzle tube in the connection cap.