Abstract: A solid-state image pickup device includes a pixel array including pixels arranged in a matrix, a pixel signal readout unit, and a timing control unit for controlling processing of the pixel signal readout unit by using a timing signal. The pixel signal readout unit includes: a plurality of comparators for comparing a readout signal potential with a reference voltage to generate a determination signal and outputting the determination signal, and a plurality of counters. Each counter counts a comparison time of each corresponding one of the comparators. The timing control unit (a) divides a predetermined processing period into at least a first-time readout period, a first comparison period, a second-time readout period, and a second-time comparison period, (b) classifies the periods into two periods, and (c) generates a timing signal of processing of each divided period by counting for each divided period in the counter.

Abstract: The present method is characterized by providing the rotor blade with a tab 3, which can advance and retreat with respect to rear of rotating direction of the rotor blade between a position where the tab protrudes from a trailing edge of the rotor blade and a position where the tab does not, and providing an actuator 4, which advances and retreats the tab 3, and operating the actuator 4 so that the tab advances and retreats in response to rotating timing of the rotor blade 2, when reducing the BVI noise of the rotor blade of a helicopter. Thus, the BVI noise of a helicopter can be reduced effectively.

Abstract: A fuel supply system for a general purpose internal combustion engine is equipped with a sub-fuel tank that retains gasoline fuel supplied from a main fuel tank and houses the high-pressure pump in its interior. In other words, the pump is immersed in the gasoline fuel retained in the tank, so that if an air pocket should occur in the fuel supply pipe between the main fuel tank and pump, the air will be discharged from the sub-fuel tank to the exterior through a fuel return pipe etc., thereby ensuring that the pump does not suck in air. Since fuel injectors can therefore inject gasoline fuel immediately, starting performance is enhanced.

Abstract: A vehicle deceleration control device is provided that can determine an appropriate supplemental braking force when a braking force is applied according to an accelerator operation state. An engine braking-equivalent braking force is varied according to an initial accelerator angle when an accelerator returns and according to an accelerator return speed. That is, the greater the initial accelerator angle is, or the greater the accelerator return speed is, the greater the value to which the engine braking-equivalent braking force is set. It therefore becomes possible to determine the appropriate supplemental braking force that reflects the driver's braking intention.

Abstract: In a vehicle brake apparatus, front-wheel brake power is controlled with fluid pressure brake power (a front-wheel VB fluid pressure part Fvbf+an increase in fluid pressure brake power equivalent to a liner valve pressure difference ?P1) and regenerative brake power Freg, while rear-wheel brake power is controlled with only fluid pressure brake power (a rear-wheel VB fluid pressure part Fvbr+an increase in fluid pressure brake power equivalent to a liner valve pressure difference ?P2), so that regenerative and cooperative brake controlling is executed. When a brake pedal is additionally depressed during front/rear brake power proportion controlling, the shortage of the total brake power is compensated by adding additional brake power Fadd, which is the same as rear-wheel brake power shortage ?Fr generated by the additional depression, to the front-wheel brake power.

Abstract: A graphical Gaussian modeling method capable of speedily and accurately estimating a genetic network from an expression profile and an apparatus therefore are provided. The present invention provides a graphical Gaussian modeling method for estimating a genetic network including the steps of (a) clustering genes based on an expression profile, (b) selecting genes having a profile closest to a mean value of an expression profile per cluster to be used as representative genes representing the cluster, (c) obtaining a correlation coefficient matrix among representative genes, (d) obtaining a partial correlation coefficient matrix from the correlation coefficient matrix, (e) contracting the partial correlation coefficient matrix according to predetermined conditions and (f) displaying a contracted model based on the contracted partial correlation coefficient matrix.

Abstract: An engine decompression system that can secure a projecting height of a decompression cam from a base face of a valve operating cam to be relatively large in an engine starting rotational region, and maintain a state in which the projection height is decreased in a complete combustion rotational region of the engine. The decompression system includes a decompression cam shaft provided on a valve operating cam shaft or a rotating member integrally coupled thereto, the decompression cam shaft being capable of rotating between an operating position in which a decompression cam projects above a base face of a valve operating cam to slightly open engine valves during a compression stroke and a release position in which the decompression cam is withdrawn to allow the engine valves to close.

Abstract: The invention has the object of obtaining, at a high rate of success, graphs indicating the relationships between variables indicating the states of observed items which are the subjects of data mining, and improving the reliability of the outputted graphs. A method for generating a graph showing the relationships between variables comprises a step S2 of establishing a number of graphs to be generated, a step S5 of randomly establishing an order of variables X forming the set of all variables V, a step S6 of performing a process of reconstructing a graph showing the relationships between variables, and a step S10 of outputting a comprehensive graph including all edges existing in any of the graphs generated with each graph generation.

Abstract: An improved vehicle brake system for controlling the frictional braking force and the regenerative braking force to be applied to a wheel of a vehicle. The brake system reduces the regenerative braking force to a predetermined force and keeps the regenerative braking force at the predetermined force before the start of anti-lock control. When the anti-lock control starts, the brake system decreases the regenerative braking force from the predetermined force. With this arrangement, it is possible to quickly eliminate a locking tendency of any wheel of the vehicle, thereby stabilizing the vehicle.

Abstract: A graphical Gaussian modeling method capable of speedily and accurately estimating a genetic network from an expression profile and an apparatus therefore are provided. The present invention provides a graphical Gaussian modeling method for estimating a genetic network including the steps of (a) clustering genes based on an expression profile, (b) selecting genes having a profile closest to a mean value of an expression profile per cluster to be used as representative genes representing the cluster, (c) obtaining a correlation coefficient matrix among representative genes, (d) obtaining a partial correlation coefficient matrix from the correlation coefficient matrix, (e) contracting the partial correlation coefficient matrix according to predetermined conditions and (f) displaying a contracted model based on the contracted partial correlation coefficient matrix.

Abstract: A brake apparatus for a vehicle generally sets an upper limit value of regenerative braking force to the maximum value of the regenerative braking force which can be generated at the present. In the case of a front-wheel-drive vehicle, the total braking force, the sum of front-wheel braking force (front-wheel hydraulic braking force+regenerative braking force) and rear-wheel braking force (rear-wheel hydraulic braking force), is rendered coincident with a target braking force corresponding to a brake pedal depressing force, and the regenerative braking force is set to a largest possible value equal to or less than the upper limit value. As a result, the regenerative braking force can be larger than front-wheel-side target distribution braking force. The upper limit value is decreased from the maximum value by an amount corresponding to the degree of easiness of occurrence of a locking tendency at the driven wheels (front wheels).

Abstract: In order to ensure that traction control is not initiated when an engine stalling tendency exists, no engine stalling tendency is set as a condition for initiating traction control. Furthermore, in order to ensure that an accurate determination of the engine stalling tendency can be made after the initiation of traction control, an engine speed threshold value used to determine whether the engine stalling tendency exists is changed in accordance with a vehicle status. Thus, the engine stalling tendency can be more accurately determined in comparison to when the engine speed threshold value is set as a constant value (a predetermined speed). Accordingly, it is possible to prevent frequent prohibition of traction control even when the possibility of engine stalling is low.

Abstract: A brake apparatus for a vehicle controls braking force acting on front wheels by hydraulic braking force (front-wheel-side vacuum-booster hydraulic pressure fraction+linear-valve differential pressure fraction), which is frictional braking force, and regenerative braking force, and controls braking force acting on rear wheels by hydraulic braking force (rear-wheel-side vacuum-booster hydraulic pressure fraction) only, to thereby perform regeneration-coordinative brake control. During performance of ABS control, the apparatus sets the limit regenerative braking force to a force under which locking of the front wheels does not occur in a case in which the force acts on the front wheels, which are wheels undergoing regenerative braking, and adjusts the regenerative braking force such that the regenerative braking force does not exceed the limit regenerative braking force.

Abstract: An engine decompression system that can secure a projecting height of a decompression cam from a base face of a valve operating cam to be relatively large in an engine starting rotational region, and maintain a state in which the projection height is decreased in a complete combustion rotational region of the engine. The decompression system includes a decompression cam shaft provided on a valve operating cam shaft or a rotating member integrally coupled thereto, the decompression cam shaft being capable of rotating between an operating position in which a decompression cam projects above a base face of a valve operating cam to slightly open engine valves during a compression stroke and a release position in which the decompression cam is withdrawn to allow the engine valves to close.

Abstract: In a vehicle brake apparatus, front-wheel brake power is controlled with fluid pressure brake power (a front-wheel VB fluid pressure part Fvbf+an increase in fluid pressure brake power equivalent to a liner valve pressure difference ?P1) and regenerative brake power Freg, while rear-wheel brake power is controlled with only fluid pressure brake power (a rear-wheel VB fluid pressure part Fvbr+an increase in fluid pressure brake power equivalent to a liner valve pressure difference ?P2), so that regenerative and cooperative brake controlling is executed. When a brake pedal is additionally depressed during front/rear brake power proportion controlling, the shortage of the total brake power is compensated by adding additional brake power Fadd, which is the same as rear-wheel brake power shortage ?Fr generated by the additional depression, to the front-wheel brake power.

Abstract: The unit controls a linear-valve-pressure-difference braking force and a regenerative braking force so that a total braking force obtained by adding a complementary braking force that is “the sum of the increments of the respective hydraulic braking forces by linear-valve pressure differences generated by linear solenoid valves disposed for their respective systems (linear-valve-pressure-difference braking force) and a regenerative braking force” to a hydraulic braking force (VB hydraulic braking force) based on a master-cylinder pressure output from a master cylinder reaches a target value for a brake-pedal pressure. For example, for a vehicle equipped with a cross pipe arrangement, when one of the linear solenoid valves fails, the linear-valve pressure difference of a normal linear solenoid valve is set to a value as twice as large as that when both of the linear solenoid valves are normal.

Abstract: A vehicle brake device is provided with a hydraulic brake device for boosting by a booster device a braking manipulation force generated upon a braking manipulation, for applying a base fluid pressure generated in dependence on the boosted brake manipulation force, to wheel cylinders of wheels so that a base hydraulic brake force is generated on the wheels, and for driving a pump to generate and apply a controlled fluid pressure to the wheel cylinders so that a controlled hydraulic brake force is generated on the wheels; braking manipulation state detecting means for detecting the braking manipulation state; a regenerative brake device for causing an electric motor to generate a regenerative brake force corresponding to the braking manipulation state on the wheels driven by the electric motor; variation detecting means for detecting the variation of an actual regenerative brake force actually generated by the regeneration braking device; and brake force compensating means for generating the controlled fluid p

Abstract: The present invention is provided for accurately estimating an amount of angular disagreement of planes of polarization between two polarization-maintaining optical fibers when connecting the polarization-maintaining optical fibers. In the present invention, a distribution of the polarization-maintaining optical fibers by irradiating a light on the lateral side of the polarization-maintaining optical fibers. The positions and heights of peaks of brightness of a transmitted light produced by the irradiated light are varied to comply with the angular disagreement of an axis of polarization which traverses two stress applying sections toward the irradiation direction of the light of each polarization-maintaining optical fiber. The amount of angular disagreement of the planes of polarization can be accurately estimated from the positions and heights of the peaks.

Abstract: This DSM-CC carousel receiver has a DSM-CC section receiving section for receiving a transport stream of MPEG2 (Moving Picture Experts Group-2) and extracting what forming a DSM-CC section, a DSM-CC section analysis section for judging whether the DSM-CC section extracted is DDB configuring the DII unobtained module, a temporary module information setting section for setting temporary module information for the DDB when it is judged to be DDB, which configures the DII unobtained module, by the DSM-CC section analysis section, and a writing section for writing the DDB configuring the DII unobtained module into the storage section according to the temporary module information determined by the temporary module information setting section.

Abstract: An optical fiber edge surface processing method has the steps of capturing a transmitted-light image of end portions of two optical fibers placed facing each other, and extracting, based on a brightness distribution in the transmitted-light image, edge surface information of each of the two optical fibers to be spliced together; selecting a discharge condition corresponding to the edge surface information from among a plurality of discharge conditions prestored in a storage unit; and melting the splicing edge surfaces of the two optical fibers in accordance with the selected discharge condition, and thereby shaping the splicing edge surfaces. With this method, splice loss can be reduced in a simple manner, even when the edge surface angle of each optical fiber, or the relative edge surface angle between the two optical fibers, or the amount of chipping at the splicing cross section of each optical fiber, is large.