Abstract: A compressor includes front and rear cylinder blocks, a drive shaft rotatably supported by the cylinder blocks, a swash plate mounted on the drive shaft, a plurality of cylinder bores defined in the cylinder blocks and located around the drive shaft, and a plurality of pistons respectively disposed in the cylinder bores. The pistons reciprocate by converting rotation of the drive shaft with the swash plate. A plurality of compression chambers are defined in the cylinder bores for compressing the gas supplied to the cylinder bores in accordance with the reciprocating movement of the pistons. Each compression chamber has dead volume defined by a space having a predetermined volume when the associated piston is at top dead center in each cylinder bore. A reference capacity is defined by the capacity when the piston is at a bottom dead center of the cylinder bore that has the smallest dead volume.

Abstract: A viscous fluid heater includes a housing for accommodating a heating chamber and a heat exchanging chamber. Viscous fluid is contained in the heating chamber, and circulating fluid circulates through the heat exchanging chamber. A cylindrical rotor is located in the heating chamber, which rotates to shear the viscous fluid in the heating chamber and thus generate heat which heats the circulating fluid in the heat exchanging chamber. The cylindrical rotor is hollow, which defines a reservoir chamber within the rotor to contain the viscous fluid. The rotor has at least one, and preferably a plurality of circumferentially spaced apart communicating passages between its interior reservoir chamber and the viscous fluid heating chamber which surrounds the rotor, so that viscous fluid flows from the reservoir chamber into the heating chamber, in which it flows outwardly to the ends of the rotor. The viscous fluid returns to the reservoir chamber via axial passages in the respective end walls of the rotor.

Abstract: A viscous fluid type heat generator including a housing assembly in which a heat generating chamber confining therein a heat generative viscous fluid to which a shearing action is applied by a disc-like rotor element rotated by a drive shaft, and having inner wall surfaces confronting outer surfaces of the disc-like rotor element, the inner wall surfaces of the heat generating chamber and the outer faces of the rotor element defining small fluid holding and/or heat generating gaps in which the viscous fluid is filled so that it is forced to make a circulatory movement within the heat generating chamber by the rotating rotor element via at least one through-passage which is arranged to pierce the outer surfaces of the disc-like rotor element, and have either an obliquely extending through-bore of which the center line extends along the rotating direction of the rotor element, or an axially linear through-bore having a sloping recess formed in at least one of the opposite bore ends to obliquely extend in a dire

Abstract: An improved heating apparatus for a vehicle is disclosed. A water circuit circulates water to cool an engine. A viscous fluid type heater is disposed in a fluid circuit that is separately arranged from the water circuit. The heater has a heating chamber and a heat exchange chamber close to the heating chamber. The heat exchange chamber communicates with the fluid circuit. The heating chamber accommodates viscous fluid and a rotor rotatable to shear the viscous fluid for producing heat. The heat is transmitted to the heat exchange chamber from the heating chamber. The fluid in the heat exchange chamber is heated and flows to the fluid circuit.

Abstract: A viscous fluid heater has a heating chamber and a radiator chamber defined in a housing and transfers heat generated by shearing viscous fluid in the heating chamber with a rotor to circulating fluid in the radiator chamber. The housing includes outer and inner housing parts, which are secured to each other. An inner wall surface is formed on the outer housing part, and an outer wall is formed on the inner housing part. The radiator chamber is defined between the inner wall and the outer wall to conduct the circulating fluid through the radiator chamber.

Abstract: A viscous fluid type heat generator having a heat generating chamber in which viscous fluid is confined to frictionally generate heat by an application of shearing action due to rotation of a rotor element rotated by a drive shaft, a heat receiving chamber arranged adjacent to the heat generating chamber to permit heat exchanging liquid to receive heat from the viscous fluid within the heat generating chamber during flowing through the heat receiving chamber, partitioning walls arranged in the heat receiving chamber to define a plurality of radially inner and outer concentric annular liquid passages between a liquid inlet for entrance of the heat exchanging liquid and a liquid outlet for delivery of the heat exchanging liquid, and a liquid guide arranged in a position adjacent to the liquid inlet to divert a part of the heat exchanging liquid entering the heat receiving chamber toward the radially outermost liquid passage in the heat receiving chamber.

Abstract: An improved viscous fluid type heater is disclosed. The heater has a heating chamber that has a inner peripheral surface and a pair of inner side surfaces and a heat exchange chamber disposed adjacent to the heating chamber. The heating chamber houses a cylindrical rotor that has an outer peripheral surface and a pair of outer side surfaces. The outer peripheral surface is opposed to the inner peripheral surface by a first space. The outer side surface is opposed to an associated inner side surface by a second space that communicates the first space. The rotor rotates and shears viscous fluid to generate heat in the spaces. The heat generated in the spaces is transmitted to the heat exchange chamber to heat circulating fluid circulating in the heat exchange chamber and an external fluid circuit. The rotor has a storing chamber defined therein. A first passage connects the first space with the storing chamber to shift the viscous fluid from the storing chamber to the first space.

Abstract: In a semiconductor apparatus and method for producing the same where an upper surface of a semiconductor chip having a thick film electrode is coated with a passivation film, the semiconductor chip being molded with a resin mold such as a power SIT, a conductive film made of a doped polysilicon, a metal material, or the like and which has a thickness of for example 3000 angstroms or more is circumferentially disposed from a bottom circumference of the thick film electrode to a part of region between a field oxide film and a passivation film so as to effectively prevent cracks in the passivation film caused by a cyclic temperature test from extending into the field oxide film.

Abstract: A static induction transistor has a gate region formed with a protrusion extending toward a drain region. The protrusion is located toward one side of the gate region such that a shallower gate region lies between the protrusion and the nearest source region. When a reverse voltage higher than the withstand voltage is applied between the gate and drain, avalanche breakdown occurs only in a region immediately below the protrusion, and no hot carriers are allowed to flow into a source region. Deterioration of the voltage-withstanding property and destruction of the device is thereby prevented. Another embodiment has a semiconductor region of a first conductivity type formed in a peripheral portion of a semiconductor layer of the first conductivity type in which a plurality of gate regions are disposed and adjacent a first major surface thereof.