Abstract: An actuator includes an electric motor; a plurality of electronic components, which control an operation of the electric motor; a control circuit board, to which the plurality of electronic components are installed; position sensors, which are installed to the control circuit board; and a plurality of displacement limiting supports. The motor position sensors are configured to sense a rotational position of a rotor and a motor shaft of the electric motor. One of the displacement limiting supports is installed along an entire of a perimeter around the motor position sensors. Another one of the displacement limiting supports is installed at a part of a perimeter around a corresponding specific one of the electronic components. The displacement limiting supports support the control circuit board such that the displacement limiting supports limit displacement of the control circuit board.

Abstract: A blind nut including an internal threaded portion, a hollow tubular portion adjacent to the internal threaded portion, and a flange with hole, formed at the end on the opposite side to the internally threaded portion. The internal threaded portion is inserted into an attaching hole of the attached-to member, a part of the tubular portion is plastically deformed to expand in diameter, and the attached-to member is held between the deformed expanded diameter portion and the flange. The internal threaded portion includes a first straight portion adjacent to the tubular portion, a first tapered portion with an outside diameter gradually decreasing from the first straight portion, a second straight portion with an outside diameter smaller than the first straight portion, a second tapered portion with an outside diameter decreasing from the first straight portion, and a third straight portion with an outside diameter smaller than the second straight portion.

Abstract: A blind rivet having sealing and water-tightness features. The blind rivet is fastenable to a member having an opening and includes a rivet body and mandrel. The rivet body has a flange having a large diameter, a taper portion which is adjacent the flange and a sleeve which extends along the axial direction from the taper portion. A hole having a bottom is formed from the surface of the flange to the bottom of the sleeve. The mandrel has a head. The head of the mandrel is disposed at the bottom portion of the hole. A thick portion is formed at a portion of the sleeve, and thus the head is irremovably held in the hole. The mandrel is pulled, the sleeve is enlarged, and a substrate is sealed between the enlarged portion and the flange. A sealing structure using the blind rivet is also provided.

Abstract: A Blind nut may be mounted on a hole of a mounted member. The blind nut includes a main body with a plastically deformable material and a nut member with a relatively harder material. The main body has a cylindrical first tubular portion and a second hexagonal and cylindrical tubular portion provided adjacent to first tubular member. A flange is provided adjacent the second tubular member. Nut member includes a short cylindrical nut base member. Nut tubular members are adjacent nut base member and have a smaller outer diameter than that of the nut base member. A female threaded pass-through hole extends across the length of the nut member. The nut cylinder members are inside the first tubular member and the second tubular member; and the lower edge of the main body tubular member is in contact with a step member of the nut base member and welded thereto.

Abstract: A stator is equipped in a housing. A coil is equipped to the stator to produce a magnetic flux when supplied with an electricity. A rotor is formed of a magnetic material and is rotational in the stator. The rotor includes a rotor core, a salient pole, and an accommodation cavity portion. The salient pole is projected from the rotor core toward the stator. The accommodation cavity portion extends in the salient pole along the thickness direction. An expansive member is formed of a magnetic material, which has a thermal expansion coefficient different from a thermal expansion coefficient of the rotor. The expansive member is equipped in the accommodation cavity portion. The expansive member expands in response to increase in a temperature.

Abstract: A blind nut including an internal threaded portion, a hollow tubular portion adjacent to the internal threaded portion, and a flange with hole, formed at the end on the opposite side to the internally threaded portion. The internal threaded portion is inserted into an attaching hole of the attached-to member, a part of the tubular portion is plastically deformed to expand in diameter, and the attached-to member is held between the deformed expanded diameter portion and the flange. The internal threaded portion includes a first straight portion adjacent to the tubular portion, a first tapered portion with an outside diameter gradually decreasing from the first straight portion, a second straight portion with an outside diameter smaller than the first straight portion, a second tapered portion with an outside diameter decreasing from the first straight portion, and a third straight portion with an outside diameter smaller than the second straight portion.

Abstract: A blind rivet having sealing and water-tightness features. The blind rivet is fastenable to a member having an opening and includes a rivet body and mandrel. The rivet body has a flange having a large diameter, a taper portion which is adjacent the flange and a sleeve which extends along the axial direction from the taper portion. A hole having a bottom is formed from the surface of the flange to the bottom of the sleeve. The mandrel has a head. The head of the mandrel is disposed at the bottom portion of the hole. A thick portion is formed at a portion of the sleeve, and thus the head is irremovably held in the hole. The mandrel is pulled, the sleeve is enlarged, and a substrate is sealed between the enlarged portion and the flange. A sealing structure using the blind rivet is also provided.

Abstract: A blind rivet is adapted for fastening two members, each member having a plurality of fastening holes arranged in corresponding positions. The inner diameter of the holes in the second member are greater than the inner diameter of the holes in the first member to compensate for positioning errors that may occur during machining. The blind rivet includes a rivet body having a sleeve, a rivet head, and a through hole; a mandrel having an elongated stem and a head; and a washer. The washer is arranged around the outer circumferential surface of the sleeve in the rivet body and adjacent to the rivet head. The members to be fastened are fastened between the enlarged end of the sleeve and the washer.

Abstract: A blind nut mountable in mounted members such as panels of a wide range of thicknesses. The blind nut includes an internal threading portion, a hollow tube-shaped portion adjacent to the threading portion, and an open flange formed in the tube-shaped portion on the end opposite the internal threading. The internal threading portion and the tube-shaped portion are inserted into a mounting hole in a mounted member, and a section of the tube-shaped portion is plastically deformed to enlarge the diameter in order to grip the mounted member between the deformed enlarged-diameter portion and the flange, and mount the blind nut in the mounted member. The tube-shaped portion has a tapered portion adjacent to the internal threading portion, and a cylindrical straight portion adjacent to the flange. The tapered portion and the straight portion are plastically deformed to widen their diameter and mount the blind nut on the mounted member.

Abstract: An optical sensor includes: first and second light receiving elements on a semiconductor substrate; a light blocking film over the semiconductor substrate via a light transmitting film; and first and second openings corresponding to the light receiving elements and disposed in the light blocking film. First and second virtual lines are defined to extend from the centers of the first and second light receiving elements and pass through the centers of the first and second openings, respectively. At least one of elevation angles and left-right angles of the first and second virtual lines are different. The photosensitive area of the first light receiving element is larger than the aperture area of the first opening. The photosensitive area of the second light receiving element is larger than the aperture area of the second opening.

Abstract: A head is formed so that the maximum diameter portion as viewed from the front is arranged in a different position axially with respect to the maximum diameter portion as viewed from the side. The horizontal cross-section of the head is such that a first ellipse is formed in the maximum diameter portion, and a second ellipse is formed in the maximum diameter portion with the long axis perpendicular to the long axis of the first ellipse. The horizontal cross-sectional shape of the head is gradually changed in the axial direction so as to continue from the first ellipse to the second ellipse. Each one of the horizontal cross-sections has the same circumferential length at different axial positions on the head.

Abstract: A blind rivet comprises a sleeve, a body, and a mandrel. The sleeve includes a barrel with a hexagonal cross-section, a flange, and a through-hole. The rivet body includes a base, a barrel with slits extending in the axial direction, and a through-hole. The mandrel includes an elongated stem and a head. During the setting process, the barrel of the rivet body is pushed open by the head of the mandrel, and the objects to be fastened are fastened between the opened portion of the barrel and the flange of the sleeve. The mandrel is then pulled further and the polygonal vertices of the sleeve barrel are compressed by a round squeezing hole in a nosepiece. The compression of the sleeve barrel forces the inner circumference of the barrel into non-sliding engagement with the mandrel.

Abstract: This invention relates to a blind fastener having a hollow sleeve with high surface hardness and sufficient elongation, and to a novel heat treatment method therefor. The method for the heat treatment of the blind fastener includes austempering. The austempering includes a step in which a hollow sleeve of cold-rolled low carbon steel with a carbon percentage of 0.08 to 0.13% is heated and maintained from 800° C. to 950° C. during carburization, and a subsequent step in which isothermal maintenance is performed from 320° C. to 500° C. The resulting carbon percentage (CP) value is from 0.3 to 0.5%. Even in the case of a low carbon steel blind fastener, the austempering can harden the surface of the sleeve and soften the inner portion other than the surface for suitable elongation in order to provide a blind fastener having a sleeve with high surface hardness and sufficient elongation.

Abstract: An optical sensor includes: first and second light receiving elements on a semiconductor substrate; a light blocking film over the semiconductor substrate via a light transmitting film; and first and second openings corresponding to the light receiving elements and disposed in the light blocking film. First and second virtual lines are defined to extend from the centers of the first and second light receiving elements and pass through the centers of the first and second openings, respectively. At least one of elevation angles and left-right angles of the first and second virtual lines are different. The photosensitive area of the first light receiving element is larger than the aperture area of the first opening. The photosensitive area of the second light receiving element is larger than the aperture area of the second opening.

Abstract: A blind rivet for fastening two members each member having a plurality of fastening holes arranged in corresponding positions. The inner diameter of the holes in the second member are greater than the inner diameter of the holes in the first member to compensate for positioning errors that may occur during machining. The blind rivet comprises a rivet body having a sleeve, a rivet head, and a through hole; a mandrel having an elongated stem and a head; and a washer. The washer is arranged around the outer circumferential surface of the sleeve in the rivet body and adjacent to the rivet head. The members to be fastened are fastened between the enlarged end of the sleeve and the washer.

Abstract: This invention relates to a blind fastener having a hollow sleeve with high surface hardness and sufficient elongation, and to a novel heat treatment method therefor. The method for the heat treatment of the blind fastener includes austempering. The austempering includes a step in which a hollow sleeve of cold-rolled low carbon steel with a carbon percentage of 0.08 to 0.13% is heated and maintained from 800° C. to 950° C. during carburization, and a subsequent step in which isothermal maintenance is performed from 320° C. to 500° C. The resulting carbon percentage (CP) value is from 0.3 to 0.5%. Even in the case of a low carbon steel blind fastener, the austempering can harden the surface of the sleeve and soften the inner portion other than the surface for suitable elongation in order to provide a blind fastener having a sleeve with high surface hardness and sufficient elongation.

Abstract: A head is formed so that the maximum diameter portion as viewed from the front is arranged in a different position axially with respect to the maximum diameter portion as viewed from the side. The horizontal cross-section of the head is such that a first ellipse is formed in the maximum diameter portion, and a second ellipse is formed in the maximum diameter portion with the long axis perpendicular to the long axis of the first ellipse. The horizontal cross-sectional shape of the head is gradually changed in the axial direction so as to continue from the first ellipse to the second ellipse. Each one of the horizontal cross-sections has the same circumferential length at different axial positions on the head.

Abstract: A display-use lighting device and display apparatus are provided. The display-use lighting device is provided with a light device which is provided with visible light emitting devices and ultraviolet light emitting devices and a control unit. The control unit performs control to make the visible light emitting devices emit light, gradually increase a light emitting intensity, then gradually decrease this light emitting intensity and extinguish the light, then make the ultraviolet light emitting devices emit light, gradually increase a light emitting intensity, then gradually decrease this light emitting intensity and extinguish the light, and alternately periodically repeats the light emitting operations of the visible light emitting devices and the light emitting operations of the ultraviolet light emitting devices. The visible light emission and the ultraviolet light emission are alternately periodically repeated.

Abstract: An output circuit includes a constant current circuit that generates and supplies a constant current to an output terminal of the output circuit. Based on the constant current, the output circuit converts an input signal to an output signal having a voltage within a voltage range specified by upper and lower clamp voltages. The output signal is feedback to the constant current circuit. The constant current circuit changes the amount of the constant current in accordance with the output signal in such a manner that the constant current increases with an increase in the output signal and becomes zero when the output signal decreases to or below a threshold voltage. Thus, the upper clamp voltage is made as close to a power supply voltage as possible and the lower clamp voltage is made as close to a ground voltage as possible.