Abstract: A foreign matter inspection system that is less likely to misidentify a crack as a foreign matter during an image inspection in which a vibration is applied to a powder contained in a bag-like container. The foreign matter inspection system includes a vibration device configured to apply a vibration to a container, a photography device configured to optically photograph the inside of the container through a transparent area, and a determination device configured to determine whether a foreign matter is present inside the container based on an image of the container photographed by the photography device. The vibration device alternately applies weak vibrations W and strong vibrations S to the container. The determination device determines whether the foreign matter is present inside the container based on the image of the container photographed by the photography device when the vibration device applies the weak vibrations W.

Abstract: In a steering control device equipped with an electric motor having a plurality of winding sets and a plurality of assist current output sections each outputting a motor drive current caused to flow through each of the plurality of winding sets, it is possible to quickly make the driver aware of a state in which abnormality is generated and to suppress deterioration in operability in the state in which the abnormality has been generated.

Abstract: Provided is a method and apparatus capable of rapidly releasing an automatic steering mode and switching to a manual steering mode in which steering is performed by a driver when there is a steering input from a driver in a steering wheel, so that it is possible to prevent disturbance in a behavior of a vehicle caused by an excessive manipulation of the driver who memorizes strangeness. In the vehicle steering apparatus, a state that a driver holds the input unit of the steering input means is detected on the basis of a characteristic change caused by an increase of a mass or inertial moment in the input unit of the steering input means or a part subordinate thereto. In addition, a switching operation between the automatic steering mode and the manual steering mode is performed on the basis of a result of the holding detection.

Abstract: In a load distribution system, a plurality of processing servers are installed and a context-dependent distributor is arranged in a stage before the processing servers such that a distribution rule is set to the distributor to appropriately distribute an event to an associated processing server, the event being necessary for the server to execute a processing rule set thereto. To achieve the processing distribution in a system of this type, a plurality of processing servers are disposed and an event processing distribution control unit sets event processing rules to the respective processing servers for individual applications. The distribution controller sets a distribution rule associated with context of an event to a distributor so that the event is distributed to an associated server beforehand designated to process the event. This makes it possible to accomplish load distribution for the processing servers.

Abstract: An RFID reading system includes at least two readers and at least one RF tag. Each reader includes a transmitter, a receiver, and a CPU section to control transmission of the transmitter and reception of the receiver. Both readers receive a reply signal sent from an RF tag in response to a query wave sent from either one of the readers to the RF tag. The readers obtain tag information from the RF tag based on the received signals. To prevent interference therebetween, when one of the readers sends a query wave, transmission of a query wave from the other one thereof is stopped for a predetermined period of time. The information can be read without causing interference between the readers. There are obtained an RFID reading system, an RFID reading method, and RFID reader and a control program thereof, an RFID read control device and a control program thereof, and a computer-readable information recording medium storing the control programs.

Abstract: A method for forming a thin-film transistor on an insulating substrate includes the steps of: forming a non-single-crystal semiconductor thin film on the insulating substrate; forming a gate insulating film on the non-single-crystal semiconductor thin film; forming a gate electrode including a lower gate electrode and an upper gate electrode on the gate insulating film, the lower gate electrode having a portion that is not covered by the upper gate electrode; forming a source-drain region and an LDD (lightly doped drain) region in the non-single-crystal thin film semiconductor film concurrently by introducing an impurity into the non-single-crystal semiconductor thin film through the gate electrode and the gate insulating film; and etching away an exposed portion of the lower gate electrode by using the upper gate electrode as a mask.

Abstract: The present invention relates to an optical head for carrying out recording and/or reproduction of data on/from an information record disk. For enhancing the degree of freedom of design and reliably and easily ensuring an installation space for a mechanism made to move an optical element linearly, the optical head includes a holder for holding an optical element, a feed screw for moving the holder linearly and a drive unit for driving the feed screw, and the feed screw is placed to make a predetermined angle with respect to a linearly moving direction of the holder.

Abstract: A method for forming a thin-film transistor on an insulating substrate includes the steps of: forming a non-single-crystal semiconductor thin film on the insulating substrate; forming a gate insulating film on the non-single-crystal semiconductor thin film; forming a gate electrode including a lower gate electrode and an upper gate electrode on the gate insulating film, the lower gate electrode having a portion that is not covered by the upper gate electrode; forming a source-drain region and an LDD (lightly doped drain) region in the non-single-crystal thin film semiconductor film at a time by introducing an impurity into the non-single-crystal semiconductor thin film through the gate electrode and the gate insulating film; and etching away an exposed portion of the lower gate electrode by using the upper gate electrode as a mask.

Abstract: In a load distribution system, a plurality of processing servers are installed and a context-dependent distributor is arranged in a stage before the processing servers such that a distribution rule is set to the distributor to appropriately distribute an event to an associated processing server, the event being necessary for the server to execute a processing rule set thereto. To achieve the processing distribution in a system of this type, a plurality of processing servers are disposed and an event processing distribution control unit sets event processing rules to the respective processing servers for individual applications. The distribution controller sets a distribution rule associated with context of an event to a distributor so that the event is distributed to an associated server beforehand designated to process the event. This makes it possible to accomplish load distribution for the processing servers.

Abstract: An RFID reading system includes at least two readers and at least one RF tag. Each reader includes a transmitter, a receiver, and a CPU section to control transmission of the transmitter and reception of the receiver. Both readers receive a reply signal sent from an RF tag in response to a query wave sent from either one of the readers to the RF tag. The readers obtain tag information from the RF tag based on the received signals. To prevent interference therebetween, when one of the readers sends a query wave, transmission of a query wave from the other one thereof is stopped for a predetermined period of time. The information can be read without causing interference between the readers. There are obtained an RFID reading system, an RFID reading method, and RFID reader and a control program thereof, an RFID read control device and a control program thereof, and a computer-readable information recording medium storing the control programs.

Abstract: A paper money receiving/discharging apparatus includes a reel for winding/rewinding a tape therearound, a wheel for winding/rewinding paper money together with the tape therearound, a holding conveyer for holding the paper money conveyed from outside of the paper money receiving/discharging apparatus, so as to convey the paper money in a direction of the wheel at a convey velocity, and an assist roller provided on a paper money conveyer passage between the holding conveyer and the wheel, abutting on the tape, to be rotatable following thereto, and for sending the paper money in a direction of being wound around the wheel while holding the paper money together with the tape. The tape is wound around the wheel at a velocity which is lower that the convey velocity of the paper money as conveyed by the holding conveyer.

Abstract: In a paper money receiving/discharging apparatus, having an enlarged receiving capacity of paper moneys, and in a paper money conveyer apparatus, enabling decelerated/accelerated delivery of the paper money, while preventing it from buckling and folding thereof, the paper money is delivered between holding conveyer means 300 and 301 for holding and conveying the paper money to conveying the paper money, in the delivery of the paper money, and holding means 30 and 51, having a friction coefficient lower than that of the holding conveyer means, are provided between the holding conveyer means 300, which is provided in an upstream side, and the holding conveyer means 301, which is provided in a downstream side.

Abstract: A bill-receiving/discharging device for storing bills in their shorter-side direction by using one small-width tape has a problem that a corner of a bill is highly lifted due to folds of the bill when discharged, because a distance from a tape-holding point to a bill end is large in the axial direction, and the bill corner causes edge folding that the bill is folded like a triangle, and the bill cannot normally discharged to the outside of the device. The invention solves the above problem by the structure that comprises a wheel for winding a tape together with bills at the central portion of a transfer route for carrying the bills, a reel for winding the tape let out from the wheel, and a guide unit for guiding front ends of the bills discharged from the wheel together with the tape, which extends from an end in the width direction of the tape toward a width direction of the bill transfer route.

Abstract: An apparatus for handling paper sheets and the like has a mechanism for discharging the paper sheets. The mechanism is provided with a scraper for scraping the paper sheets having wound around a wheel from the wheel. The scraper has a tip end and an opposite end that is rotatably supported in a direction close to or away from the wheel so that the tip end can maintain contact with an outer peripheral surface of the wound paper sheets. The scraper includes a first scraper section and a second scraper section. The first scraper section is rotatably supported in the direction close to or away from the wheel, and is urged toward an outer peripheral surface of the wheel. The second scraper section is rotatably supported on the first scraper section in the direction close to or away from the wheel, and is urged in a direction in which a tip end of the second scraper section rotates toward the outer peripheral surface of the wound paper sheets.

Abstract: In a bill receiving and discharging device having a wheel for winding a tape together with a bill and a reel for winding the tape rewound from the wheel, a bill in which a cut exists at a position at which the bill cannot be held within width of the tape sometimes has a trouble such that the bill is cut into two sections at a time of discharging. In the present invention, in order to eliminate the above-described trouble, a regulating device and a discharging device for guiding an end portion of a bill to an outside of a back side region of the tape are provided.

Abstract: An apparatus for handling paper sheets and the like has mechanism for discharging the paper sheets. The mechanism is provided with a scraper for scraping the paper sheets having wound around a wheel from the wheel. The scraper has a tip end and an opposite end that is rotatably supported in a direction close to or away from the wheel so that the tip end can maintain contact with an outer peripheral surface of the wound bills. The scraper includes a first scraper section and a second scraper section. The first scraper section is rotatably supported in the direction close to or away from the wheel, and is urged toward an outer peripheral surface of the wheel. The second scraper section is rotatably supported on the first scraper section in the direction close to or away from the wheel, and is urged in a direction in which a tip end of the second scraper section rotates toward the outer peripheral surface of the wound bills.

Abstract: In a bill receiving and discharging device having a wheel for winding a tape together with a bill and a reel for winding the tape rewound from the wheel, a bill in which a cut exists at a position at which the bill cannot be held within width of the tape sometimes has a trouble such that the bill is cut into two sections at a time of discharging. In the present invention, in order to eliminate the above-described trouble, a regulating device and a discharging device for guiding an end portion of a bill to an outside of a back side region of the tape are provided.

Abstract: A bill-receiving/discharging device for storing bills in their shorter-side direction by using one small-width tape has a problem that a corner of a bill is highly lifted due to folds of the bill when discharged, because a distance from a tape-holding point to a bill end is large in the axial direction, and the bill corner causes edge folding that the bill is folded like a triangle, and the bill cannot normally discharged to the outside of the device. The invention solves the above problem by the structure that comprises a wheel for winding a tape together with bills at the central portion of a transfer route for carrying the bills, a reel for winding the tape let out from the wheel, and a guide unit for guiding front ends of the bills discharged from the wheel together with the tape, which extends from an end in the width direction of the tape toward a width direction of the bill transfer route.