Abstract: A hydrogen storage alloy suitable for a negative electrode of an on-board alkaline storage battery, an alkaline storage battery using this hydrogen storage alloy, and a vehicle; wherein a fine-grained hydrogen storage alloy is used for an alkaline storage battery that has a crystal structure of an A2B7-type structure as a main phase and is represented by a general formula: (La1-aSma)1-bMgbNicAldCre (where suffixes a, b, c, d, and e meet the following conditions: 0?a?0.35, 0.15?b?0.30, 0.02?d?0.10, 0?e?0.10, 3.20?c+d+e?3.50, and 0<a+e), and an alkaline storage battery using this hydrogen storage alloy for a negative electrode. A vehicle also includes this alkaline storage battery as an electricity supply source for a motor.

Abstract: Fixed conductive plates are buried in a case. In its internal space, a first contact surface, which is part of each fixed conductive plate, and a second contact surface, which is an inner surface of the case, are opposite to each other, and an elastic conductive plate is interposed in this opposing portion. The elastic conductive plate is structured so that, in a restricting portion, a support piece portion is fitted to the thin plate portion of the fixed conductive plate and that an elastic arm portion extends from the support piece portion.

Abstract: A method of heating up a furnace bottom and a burner lance used in the method are proposed. The method of heating up the furnace bottom includes a step of opening, in the tap hole, a burner lance insertion hole having a diameter larger than a diameter of the burner lance so as to penetrate into the furnace, a step of installing the burner lance in the opened burner lance insertion hole, a step of filling a gap between the installed burner lance and a furnace exterior side of the tap hole with a refractory, and a step of blowing in gas for heating into the furnace from the burner lance to heat up the furnace bottom.

Abstract: A heat exchanger is formed by stacking plates with each other. The heat exchanger includes a refrigerant receiving tank configured to receive a refrigerant, a refrigerant discharging tank configured to discharge the refrigerant that has heat-exchanged, and refrigerant passages in which heat exchange between the refrigerant and another fluid is performed. The refrigerant passages fluidly connect between the refrigerant receiving tank and the refrigerant discharging tank. The refrigerant receiving tank includes a swirl structure configured to generate a swirling component in a flow of the refrigerant in the refrigerant receiving tank.

Abstract: A technology disclosed in the present specification is a power supply device 10 configured to supply electric power to a seat S that can slide and rotate with respect to a floor part F of a vehicle. The power supply device 10 comprises: a power transmission unit 40 that is provided on the floor part F and extends along a sliding direction in which the seat S slides; and a power reception unit 70 that is provided on the seat S and receives electric power from the power transmission unit 40 in a contactless manner, wherein the power transmission unit 40 is provided such that the length dimension in the sliding direction is longer than the length dimension in a direction orthogonal to the sliding direction, and a portion of the power reception unit 70, which receives electric power from the power transmission unit 40, is disposed within an installation range of the power transmission unit 40 in a state of being close to the power transmission unit 40 while the seat S is sliding and rotating.

Abstract: In a power transmission and distribution system, each charging and discharging apparatus includes a communication unit configured to receive information on charging and discharging requirement amounts of at least one other charging and discharging apparatus. In each charging and discharging apparatus, according to an average agreement calculation of a multi-agent system, agreement values obtained by dividing, by the number of agents, a total of charging requirement amounts and a total of discharging requirement amounts of all charging and discharging apparatuses, respectively, is calculated using own charging and discharging requirement amounts and information on the charging and discharging requirement amounts of the other charging and discharging apparatus acquired by the communication unit, and a limit amount on a charging execution amount or a discharging execution amount of each charging and discharging apparatus is controlled based on the agreement values.

Abstract: A system includes a plurality of control devices that respectively control the states of a plurality of apparatuses and are connected to each other via communication lines. When each of the control devices determines a state target value of its own apparatus using the current state indicator value of the own apparatus, and the distributed controller input which is a function of the state indicator value of an apparatus adjacent to the own apparatus and the state indicator value of the own apparatus, the control gain which adjusts contribution of the distributed controller input to the state target value is determined based on a communication delay time between the control devices.

Abstract: A worm wheel is installed inside a wheel accommodation chamber of a body casing; a motor is fastened by screws from the right side perpendicular to the axis line of the worm wheel, thus forming a motor fastening part; and a worm fixed to an output shaft of the motor is engaged with the worm wheel. A board accommodation chamber is formed so as to be adjacent to the right of the wheel accommodation chamber, and a control board is inserted inside the board accommodation chamber from below. The control board is disposed so as to be inclined in a direction in which the upper end of the control board is displaced toward the wheel accommodation chamber from an erect attitude perpendicular to the axis line of the output shaft of the motor, and thus the upper end is separated from the motor fastening part in the direction of the axis line of the output shaft.

Abstract: An annular sensor magnet to be fixed to a motor shaft by a press-fit includes an annular portion having magnetic poles alternately formed in an outer peripheral portion. The annular sensor magnet also includes a fixing portion extending from an inner peripheral portion of the annular portion toward a center to support and fix the motor shaft having been press-fit, and a stress reducing portion for reducing stress caused in a contact portion of the fixing portion that contacts the motor shaft when the motor shaft is press-fit onto the fixing portion. The sensor magnet includes a bonded magnet in which a magnetic material is dispersed in a plastic material.

Abstract: A distributed control system includes a plurality of control units that controls respective units of a plurality of devices, and a communication network that includes a communication line that connects the control units. A control unit of each of the devices is configured to determine a state target value, according to consensus control of a multi-agent system, by using a current state index value of a self-device, and a difference between a latest state index value of an adjacent device received from a control unit of the adjacent device, and a latest state index value of the self-device received from the control unit of the adjacent device.

Abstract: A lighting circuit turns on a plurality of semiconductor light sources. Multiple current sources are each coupled to a corresponding semiconductor light source. A switching converter supplies a driving voltage VOUT across each of multiple series connection circuits each formed of the semiconductor light source and the current source. A converter controller employing a ripple control method turns on a switching transistor of the switching converter in response to a voltage across any one of the multiple current sources decreasing to a bottom limit voltage.

Abstract: A lighting circuit turns on a plurality of semiconductor light sources. Multiple current sources are each coupled to a corresponding semiconductor light source. A switching converter supplies a driving voltage VOUT across each of multiple series connection circuits each formed of the semiconductor light source and the current source. A converter controller employing a ripple control method turns on a switching transistor of the switching converter in response to a voltage across any one of the multiple current sources decreasing to a bottom limit voltage.

Abstract: A lighting circuit turns on multiple semiconductor light sources. Multiple current sources are each coupled in series with a corresponding one from among the semiconductor light sources. A switching converter supplies a driving voltage VOUT across each of multiple series connection circuits formed of the multiple semiconductor light sources and the multiple current sources. A converter controller controls a switching transistor of the switching converter based on a relation between a voltage across one from among the multiple current sources and a reference voltage having a positive correlation with the temperature Tj.

Abstract: Multiple current sources are coupled in series to corresponding light-emitting elements. Switching converter supplies driving voltage to the multiple light-emitting elements and current sources. Pulse modulator generates pulse signal that transits to on level when the smallest from among voltages across both ends of the multiple current sources falls to bottom limit voltage, and subsequently transits to off level. Frequency stabilization circuit controls pulse modulator such that the frequency of pulse signal approaches its target. Dummy load circuit is configured to lower driving voltage in the enable state, to be set to the enable state when switching transistor continues to be off for a predetermined time, and to be set to the disable state in response to the next turn-on of the switching transistor.

Abstract: A worm wheel is installed inside a wheel accommodation chamber of a body casing; a motor is fastened by screws from the right side perpendicular to the axis line of the worm wheel, thus forming a motor fastening part; and a worm fixed to an output shaft of the motor is engaged with the worm wheel. A board accommodation chamber is formed so as to be adjacent to the right of the wheel accommodation chamber, and a control board is inserted inside the board accommodation chamber from below. The control board is disposed so as to be inclined in a direction in which the upper end of the control board is displaced toward the wheel accommodation chamber from an erect attitude perpendicular to the axis line of the output shaft of the motor, and thus the upper end is separated from the motor fastening part in the direction of the axis line of the output shaft.

Abstract: Provided is a decelerator-equipped motor unit which can achieve cost reductions in the control board and improvement of both mechanical and electrical reliability through a particular arrangement of elements on the board, thereby achieving a smaller size by realizing an appropriate board shape without increasing the size of the unit.

Abstract: A lighting circuit controls lighting/extinguishing of a light source. A driving circuit generates a driving current which is to be supplied to the light source. A clamp circuit clamps a voltage between both ends of the light source to a clamp level in a period in which the light source is to be turned off. The clamp level is defined to be higher than zero and lower than a critical pressure when the light source is turned on/off.

Abstract: A lighting circuit turns on multiple semiconductor light sources. Multiple current sources are each coupled in series with a corresponding one from among the semiconductor light sources. A switching converter supplies a driving voltage VOUT across each of multiple series connection circuits formed of the multiple semiconductor light sources and the multiple current sources. A converter controller controls a switching transistor of the switching converter based on a relation between a voltage across one from among the multiple current sources and a reference voltage having a positive correlation with the temperature Tj.

Abstract: A system includes a plurality of control devices that respectively control the states of a plurality of apparatuses and are connected to each other via communication lines. When each of the control devices determines a state target value of its own apparatus using the current state indicator value of the own apparatus, and the distributed controller input which is a function of the state indicator value of an apparatus adjacent to the own apparatus and the state indicator value of the own apparatus, the control gain which adjusts contribution of the distributed controller input to the state target value is determined based on a communication delay time between the control devices.

Abstract: A distributed control system includes a plurality of control units that controls respective units of a plurality of devices, and a communication network that includes a communication line that connects the control units. A control unit of each of the devices is configured to determine a state target value, according to consensus control of a multi-agent system, by using a current state index value of a self-device, and a difference between a latest state index value of an adjacent device received from a control unit of the adjacent device, and a latest state index value of the self-device received from the control unit of the adjacent device.