Abstract: On the basis of the temperature detected by a temperature detecting sensor, a control section determines whether the fuel processor in a warm up state or a stationary running state. In the machine-warming state, adjusting/supplying unit controls the S/C ratio of the water/fuel mixed gas so as to be lower than that in a stationary running state of the fuel processor. The quantity of water supplied to a vaporizing section is decreased so that the heat quantity required to create the water/fuel mixed gas can be reduced. Thus, the heat quantity used to warm the vaporing section pan be increased, thereby permitting the time for warming the fuel processor to be shortened. Further, even when the water/fuel-mixed gas is reformed to create a reformed gas, excessive water vapor is not left in the reformed gas. Therefore, condensation of water vapor does not occur within the fuel processor.

Abstract: A piezoelectric resonator includes a substrate, a vibration unit disposed on the substrate and having a structure in which at least one pair of an upper electrode and a lower electrode opposed to each other, the upper and lower electrodes sandwiching the upper and lower surfaces of an internal thin-film portion including at least one layer of a piezoelectric thin-film, and an external thin-film portion provided under the lower electrode and including at least one layer of a piezoelectric thin-film or a dielectric thin-film, the vibration unit being vibrated in an n-th harmonic (n is an integer of 2 or more), the upper electrode and the lower electrode being provided substantially in the positions of the loops of the n-th harmonic.

Abstract: A piezoelectric resonator includes a substrate and a plurality of vibrating portions constructed such that a thin film portion having a piezoelectric thin film of one or more layers is sandwiched by at least a pair of upper electrodes and a lower electrode, which are opposed to each other, on the upper and lower surfaces of the thin film portion. The vibrating portions are separated by at least a distance equal to about &lgr;/2, where &lgr; represents the vibration wavelength, from elements affecting the vibration characteristics.

Abstract: A thermoelectric conversion component includes a substrate having a cavity. An insulating film is formed on the upper surface of the substrate. A small heat-capacity region is formed in the center of the insulating film, and a large heat-capacity region is formed in the outer peripheral portions of the substrate and the insulating film. A thermoelectric pattern is formed on the upper surface of the insulating film so that hot junctions and cold junctions are respectively placed on the small heat-capacity region and the large heat-capacity region. Thermosensitive resistor patterns are formed on the outer peripheries of the cold junctions of the thermoelectric pattern.

Abstract: A piezoelectric resonator includes a supporting substrate having an opening or a concavity, a vibrating section in which at least one pair of an upper electrode and a lower electrode oppose each other so as to sandwich an upper surface and a lower surface of at least one layer of piezoelectric thin film, the vibrating portion being formed over the opening or the concavity, and a heat dissipating film disposed over at least one of the upper electrode and the piezoelectric thin film so as not to cover the vibrating section.

Abstract: A piezoelectric filter and other electronic components are constructed such that the accuracy of frequency adjustment can be increased and an improvement in efficiency of the adjustment operation can be achieved. The piezoelectric filter includes a plurality of piezoelectric resonators including a substrate and a vibration portion provided on the substrate, the vibration portion having a structure in which the top and bottom surfaces of a thin film portion including at least one piezoelectric thin film are sandwiched between at least a pair of an upper electrode and a lower electrode facing each other, wherein the upper electrode of a predetermined piezoelectric resonator is made of a material having susceptibility to etching that is different from that of the upper electrode of the other piezoelectric resonator.

Abstract: A piezoelectric thin film resonator having a stabilized temperature characteristic of resonant frequency, a method for manufacturing the same, and a communication apparatus using the piezoelectric thin film resonator are provided. The piezoelectric thin film resonator is provided with a substrate having an opening, first and second insulation films which are provided on one surface of the substrate while covering the opening and which primarily include SiO2 and Al2O3, respectively, Al2O3 having oxygen defect and being in an amorphous state, and a piezoelectric thin film which is provided on the second insulation film and is sandwiched between electrodes and which primarily includes ZnO.

Abstract: A piezoelectric resonator includes a substrate and a vibrator. The vibrator includes a thin-film portion having at least one piezoelectric thin-film layer disposed on the substrate and at least one pair of upper and lower electrodes disposed on the substrate. The vibrator has a structure in which the thin-film portion is sandwiched from the upper and lower surfaces thereof by the upper and lower electrodes, which oppose each other in the depth direction, and the overlapping portion of the vibrator defined by the opposing upper and lower electrodes has a tetragonal shape, when viewed in the depth direction, other than a rectangle and a square, the tetragonal shape having substantially parallel sides having a longitudinal length equal to or smaller than about 10 times the oscillatory wavelength and also having at least one portion in which the distance between opposing electrode edges varies.

Abstract: A bi-laterally surfaced substrate in which the first surface consists of one or more than one of cerium oxide, aluminum oxide, tin oxide manganese oxide, copper oxide, cobalt oxide, nickel oxide, praseodymium oxide, terbium oxide, ruthenium, rhodium, palladium, silver, iridium, platinum and gold and the second surface consists of one or more than one of ruthenium, rhodium, palladium, silver, iridium, platinum and gold and micro channel micro component reactors including such substrates in a predetermined formed shape and methods for making the same utilizing a thermal spray on one side and a physical deposition process on the other side.

Abstract: A piezoelectric resonator includes a substrate, a vibration unit disposed on the substrate and having a structure in which at least one pair of an upper electrode and a lower electrode opposed to each other, the upper and lower electrodes sandwiching the upper and lower surfaces of an internal thin-film portion including at least one layer of a piezoelectric thin-film, and an external thin-film portion provided under the lower electrode and including at least one layer of a piezoelectric thin-film or a dielectric thin-film, the vibration unit being vibrated in an n-th harmonic (n is an integer of 2 or more), the upper electrode and the lower electrode being provided substantially in the positions of the loops of the n-th harmonic.

Abstract: A piezoelectric resonator includes a substrate and a plurality of vibrating portions constructed such that a thin film portion having a piezoelectric thin film of one or more layers is sandwiched by at least a pair of upper electrodes and a lower electrode, which are opposed to each other, on the upper and lower surfaces of the thin film portion. The vibrating portions are separated by at least a distance equal to about &lgr;/2, where &lgr; represents the vibration wavelength, from elements affecting the vibration characteristics.

Abstract: A fuel cell system having a reforming reactor is disclosed, in which condensed water generated in the reforming reactor is drained during the warming-up of the system, so as to quickly complete the warming-up. The system comprises a fuel cell for generating power by using a supplied fuel gas and oxidizing gas; a reforming reactor for reforming original fuel gas so as to produce a reformed fuel gas which is supplied to the fuel cell; and a drain for condensed water stored in the reforming reactor. A water-collecting portion is formed by a plurality of sloped portions and is attached to the bottom of the reforming reactor, and the drain is connected to the water-collecting portion.

Abstract: A thermoelectric conversion component includes a substrate having a cavity. An insulating film is formed on the upper surface of the substrate. A small heat-capacity region is formed in the center of the insulating film, and a large heat-capacity region is formed in the outer peripheral portions of the substrate and the insulating film. A thermoelectric pattern is formed on the upper surface of the insulating film so that hot junctions and cold junctions are respectively placed on the small heat-capacity region and the large heat-capacity region. Thermosensitive resistor patterns are formed on the outer peripheries of the cold junctions of the thermoelectric pattern.

Abstract: It is made possible to adjust the output of a thermopile-type thermoelectric sensor in such a way that a thermoelectric pattern for sensitivity adjustment is connected in series to a plurality of thermoelectric patterns constituting a thermopile short-circuited patterns for short-circuiting cold junctions of the thermoelectric pattern for sensitivity adjustment are formed, and the short-circuited patterns are selectively cut off.

Abstract: An LED lamp includes a first optical member and a second optical member. The first optical member is for providing light from an LED chip, provided with at least one of a concave mirror and a dome lens, at an appropriate illumination angle. The second optical member is a lens positioned to receive light from the first optical part via an air layer. At least one surface of the second optical member is a prismatically cut surface.

Abstract: An internal combustion gasoline engine has an air intake assembly which injects air through the cylinder head into the cylinder to generate swirl (horizontal vortex) flow (as opposed to tumble (vertical vortex) flow) for stratified charge combustion, and to generate tumble flow for homogeneous charge combustion. The piston includes a cavity combustion chamber at the top surface of the piston, the cavity combustion chamber having an increasing cross sectional area as the top of the piston is approached.

Abstract: A direct injection internal combustion gasoline engine has a piston 4 which includes a first inclined surface 22 approximately parallel to an intake-side inclined surface 11a of a cylinder head and a second inclined surface 23 approximately parallel to an exhaust-side inclined surface 11b of the cylinder head. A cavity combustion chamber 12 is recessed in the first inclined surface. A pair of valve recesses 31, 32 is also recessed in the first inclined surface. An arcuate dam section 21a is formed along the periphery of the valve recesses with the first inclined surface.

Abstract: In a hair cosmetic containing titanium-dioxide-coated mica, titanium-dioxide-coated mica with particle diameters of 20 &mgr;m or larger is used in a proportion not more than 10% by volume in the total volume of the titanium-dioxide-coated mica so that, when applied to hair, it may not impart an unnaturally glittering impression to the hair. To improve re-dispersibility of such a hair cosmetic, a carboxyvinyl polymer and an amphoteric macromolecule may be used in combination.

Abstract: In an arrangement for a spark-igniting direct-injection internal combustion engine, a division of X by B (X/B) (B denotes a cylinder bore diameter of each cylinder and X denotes a distance from a fuel injection nozzle up to a center axial line of the corresponding cylinder) ranges from 0.38 to 0.46. A division of Y by B (Y/B) ranges from 0.4 to 0.5 (wherein Y denotes a distance from a line passing through a spark-ignition portion of a spark plug up to an injection nozzle of the fuel injection valve. A division of Z by B (Z/B) ranges from 0.2 to 0.3 (wherein Z denotes a distance from the nozzle of the fuel injection valve up to a center of the intake valve).

Abstract: An internal combustion gasoline engine has an air intake assembly which introduces air through the cylinder head into the cylinder to generate swirl (horizontal vortex) flow (as opposed to tumble (vertical vortex) flow) for stratified charge combustion, and to generate tumble flow for homogeneous charge combustion. The piston includes a cavity combustion chamber at the top surface of the piston, the cavity combustion chamber having a round shape and an increasing cross sectional area as the top of the piston is approached. During stratified charge combustion, swirl flow is smoothly guided into the cavity combustion chamber and preserved with a sufficient intensity since the cavity combustion chamber is well sealed at its whole periphery. During homogeneous charge combustion, a tumble flow is formed inside the cylinder, and fuel injection is made in the intake stroke. Fuel supplied into the cavity combustion chamber is easily washed away by the tumble stream.