Abstract: A joint to be adhered to nylon resin moldings includes a copolymerized nylon or a composition comprising a copolymerized nylon or a copolymerized nylon blend and at least one of a nucleating agent and a lubricant. A method for adhering nylon resin moldings includes, adhering nylon resin moldings to the joint using a solvent adhesive. The joint and the solvent adhesive enable formation of an effective adhesive layer.

Abstract: An electronic camera is provided with an image pickup unit in a casing at a position opposite to an opening of the casing. The image pickup unit includes an image pickup device and an optical system. The electronic camera is further provided with a rotating mechanism for rotating the image pickup unit, a changer for changing over a photographing possible state and a photographing impossible state, and a controller for controlling the rotating mechanism to rotate the image pickup unit into a target position in response to the changer.

Abstract: Piezoelectric elements 10 and 10′ are driven so as to satisfy the relationship Nt=X0(1/(1/k2+1/k3)−1/(1/k1+1/k2+1/k3)) when the drive member, tip 20, and driven member, rotor 40, are in a state of intermittent contact, and in a state near the condition of transition from the intermittent contact state to the normal contact state. When the spring constant of the spring 41 is designated k1, the spring constant of the combined piezoelectric elements 10 and 10′ and the tip 20 is designated k2, the spring constant of the rotor 40 is designated k3, the amount of displacement of the piezoelectric elements 10 and 10′ is designated X0, and the compression force of the spring 41 is designated Nt.

Abstract: An electronic camera is provided with an image pickup unit in a casing at a position opposite to an opening of the casing. The image pickup unit includes an image pickup device and an optical system. The electronic camera is further provided with a rotating mechanism for rotating the image pickup unit, a changer for changing over a photographing possible state and a photographing impossible state, and a controller for controlling the rotating mechanism to rotate the image pickup unit into a target position in response to the changer.

Abstract: An electronic camera is provided with an image sensor, an image processor, and a controller for the image sensor and the image processor so that: the image sensor executes a first mode of sensing a whole image in a specified region of the object, and a second mode of sensing partial images in a plurality of divided parts of the specified region, and the image processor combines the plurality of sensed partial images into a single image corresponding to the whole image in the specified region, each sensed partial image being transformed with reference to the sensed whole image.

Abstract: A truss type actuator including two piezoelectric devices drives a chip member provided at a crossing point of the piezoelectric devices for moving along an elliptic or a circular trail. The piezoelectric devices are respectively driven by driving signals having a frequency equal to or near to the resonance frequency of the piezoelectric devices. By utilizing the resonance phenomenon, the displacements of the piezoelectric device can be increased as larger as possible.

Abstract: The present invention is an actuator using a piezoelectric element as a displacement element, wherein a drive signal voltage and current are reduced, and power consumption is reduced, while output is increased. A structure comprising two displacement units of laminate-type piezoelectric elements 10 and 10′ and elastic elements 25 and 25′ resonated by the piezoelectric elements are arranged so as to mutually intersect, and a tip 20 provided at the intersection point of the elastic members 25 and 25′ describes a circular path or elliptical path, and moves a rotor 40. The oscillation of the piezoelectric elements 10 and 10′ is suppressed by the elastic members 25 and 25′, so as to set the phase of the electromotive force produced by the voltage effect of the piezoelectric elements 10 and 10′ themselves to the opposite of the phase of the drive signal, thereby reducing current consumption.

Abstract: In an image reading apparatus in which a document is read with scanning by a image pickup device, a height of the document and an outline of the document are detected. Based on the detected height and outline data, together with a calculating of a document size, an offset amount from a setting reference position of the document is calculated. Based on the calculations, the image is processed properly. Also, if the document is not placed correctly or a degree of an image distortion is not within a correctable range, an alarm is issued.

Abstract: A driving apparatus that improves the precision of driving control for a driven member by reliably ensuring the desired motion of the tip member. Regulating members, which hold a piezoelectric actuator at positions opposite a rotor R, are located at positions separated from the piezoelectric actuator by a distance L that equals or exceeds the amplitude of the oscillation generated in the piezoelectric actuator.

Abstract: High resolution composite images and ultra wide composite images are produced in a digital camera which combines a plurality of images to form a composite image on a single sheet. An image sensing unit includes a movable image sensing optical unit having a first and second focal lengths and a two-dimensional image sensing device. The image sensing unit is driven to control the optical axis of the image sensing optical unit so as to capture a plurality of images via the two-dimensional image sensing device. The plurality of images are combined to produce a composite image. An ultra wide composite image at standard resolution is produced by setting the focal length of the image sensing optical unit at a first focal length on the wide angle side, and a high resolution composite image is produced by setting the focal length of the image sensing optical unit at a second focal length on the telephoto side.

Abstract: A nylon resin multi-layer pipe excellent in adhesivity to a nylon resin joint including at least (A) a layer containing a copolymerized nylon and (B) a layer containing a nylon resin other than the copolymerized nylon of the layer (A) wherein the surface in contact with the joint is the layer (A) containing a copolymerized nylon and an adhesion method for adhering a nylon resin joint to the aforementioned nylon resin multi-layer pipe using a solvent adhesive are described.

Abstract: A hydraulic or pneumatic device is described, which comprises a tube comprising a polyamide resin composition comprising (A) from 70 to 97% by weight, based on the weight of the polyamide resin composition, of a polyamide resin and (B) from 3 to 30% by weight, based on the weight of the polyamide resin composition, of a plasticizer comprising an ester of p- and/or o-hydroxybenzoic acid with a C12-C22 aliphatic alcohol having a branched chain and a component comprising a rubber compound comprising a polar rubber as a main component, and which exhibits a high reliability over an extended period of time.

Abstract: A truss type actuator including two piezoelectric devices drives a chip member provided at a crossing point of the piezoelectric devices for moving along an elliptic or a circular trail. Only one piezoelectric device is driven for transmitting vibrations thereof to the other non-driven piezoelectric device. By selecting a frequency of driving signals, both of the piezoelectric devices are resonantly vibrated with a phase difference of 90 degrees.

Abstract: An actuator includes at least two piezoelectric devices arranged for crossing displacing directions thereof at a predetermined angle, a chip member provided at a coupling point of the piezoelectric devices, and a spring for contacting the chip member to a rotor driven by the actuator. The piezoelectric device is driven for moving the chip member trailing an elliptical trail. The rotation velocity or the driving torque of the rotor is controlled by varying at least one of a length of a major axis or a minor axis of the elliptical trail and an inclination angle of the major axis or the minor axis with respect to a normal at a contacting point of the chip member and the rotor.

Abstract: A joint to be adhered to nylon resin moldings is disclosed, which comprises a copolymerized nylon or a composition comprising a copolymerized nylon or a copolymerized nylon blend and at least one of a nucleating agent and a lubricant. A method for adhering nylon resin moldings is also disclosed, which comprises adhering nylon resin moldings to the joint using a solvent adhesive. The joint and the solvent adhesive enable formation of an effective adhesive layer.

Abstract: The present invention provides an image shooting apparatus capable of accurately connecting split images while avoiding increase in the size of the apparatus. The stop positions of an image forming portion 10 is detected on the order equal to the pixel pitch, the shift amounts of the shot split images are obtained from the shift amounts of the stop positions of the image forming portion 10, and for each split image, the address is converted to a normal address based on the shift amount.

Abstract: An image reading system provided with an image sensing means to convert the image of an open-faced document to electronic signals in fine division in the viewing direction and a vertical direction intersecting said viewing direction to reduce reading time and regularize the image quality of a read pen-faced document, wherein the pixels having a binarized value of pixel value D(n) among pixels g of an image read by said image sensing means different from the pixels having a binarized value of pixel value D(n+1) of adjacent pixels on one side in a vertical direction are counted as border pixels, the difference &Dgr;D of pixel values is calculated between said border pixels and adjacent pixels on one side thereof, and correction of the pixel values of a pixel array is corrected in accordance with the sharpness of an image quality specified by the sum of said difference and the number of border pixels in a pixel array in a vertical direction for each pixel position in a viewing direction.

Abstract: A driving apparatus that improves the precision of driving control for a driven member by reliably ensuring the desired motion of the tip member. Regulating members, which hold a piezoelectric actuator at positions opposite a rotor R, are located at positions separated from the piezoelectric actuator by a distance L that equals or exceeds the amplitude of the oscillation generated in the piezoelectric actuator.

Abstract: An image reading apparatus which reads out a document, such as as a book, placed face-up and opened on a document table. The apparatus includes an image reading device for reading out the document image placed on the document table, a mirror for imaging the document upper side plane, a projecting device which projects marks onto the document and mirror, and an image processing unit. A document characterized portion imaged on the mirror is read out by the image reading device and the image processing unit rectifies image distortion of the read out document image based on the characterized portion.

Abstract: The present invention is an actuator using a piezoelectric element as a displacement element, wherein a drive signal voltage and current are reduced, and power consumption is reduced, while output is increased. A structure comprising two displacement units of laminate-type piezoelectric elements 10 and 10′ and elastic elements 25 and 25′ resonated by the piezoelectric elements are arranged so as to mutually intersect, and a tip 20 provided at the intersection point of the elastic members 25 and 25′ describes a circular path or elliptical path, and moves a rotor 40. The oscillation of the piezoelectric elements 10 and 10′ is suppressed by the elastic members 25 and 25′, so as to set the phase of the electromotive force produced by the voltage effect of the piezoelectric elements 10 and 10′ themselves to the opposite of the phase of the drive signal, thereby reducing current consumption.