Abstract: A switch includes a first arm that is rotatably supported, a first contact member that is provided at a free end of the first arm, a second arm that is rotatably supported, and a second contact member that is provided at a free end of the second arm and is to come into contact with the first contact member. After the first contact member and the second contact member have come into contact with each other, a point of contact between the first contact member and the second contact member is displaced with rotational motions of the first arm and the second arm.

Abstract: A battery storage structure includes a battery storage portion, a battery terminal, a separate member, and an overhang portion. The battery storage portion includes a bottom surface portion and peripheral wall portion extending from the perimeter of the bottom surface portion in a direction that intersects with the bottom surface portion and forms a first opening. The battery terminal has a contact portion and is supported by the peripheral wall portion. The separate member is formed as a separate body from the battery storage portion. The overhang portion is provided on the separate member, is positioned on a first direction side with respect to the contact portion, and protrudes toward an inner side of the peripheral wall portion in a second direction. The first direction is a direction from the bottom surface portion toward the first opening. The second direction is a direction that intersects the first direction.

Abstract: Methods of repairing defects in polymeric composite structures are provided. The methods include filling or bonding defects with a pre-polymerization solution and polymerizing the pre-polymerization solution in situ. Patches or support structures can be disposed at the site of the defect to increase the strength of the repair or to make the repair cosmetically pleasing, respectively. Such a method of repairing a defect may include applying a pre-polymer solution having a reinforcing material and a monomer to the defect in a polymeric composite structure; disposing a support structure on a surface of the polymeric composite structure over at least a portion of the defect having the applied pre-polymer solution; and polymerizing the monomer in the pre-polymer solution to form a repaired region in the polymeric composite structure including a polymer having the reinforcing material distributed therein.

Abstract: A terminal supporting apparatus is provided with: a hub that is attached to an end of the outer cable and is provided with a flange on an outer periphery; a cushion member that is provided to surround the outer periphery of the hub and abuts on the flange at both a front surface and a back surface of the flange; and a housing that houses the cushion member. The cushion member includes a large-diameter portion that abuts on the flange. At least within a range contacting with the hub, at least a part of an outer peripheral surface of the large-diameter portion is fixed to an inner surface of the housing, while a clearance is formed between the cushion member and the inner surface of the housing over an entire region of an end surface of the large-diameter portion in a cable axis direction.

Abstract: A method for manufacturing a copper alloy according to the present invention comprises (a) weighing a copper powder and one of a Cu—Zr master alloy and a ZrH2 powder such that an alloy composition of Cu-xZr (x is the atomic % of Zr, and 0.5?x?8.6 is satisfied) is obtained and pulverizing and mixing the copper powder and the one of the Cu—Zr master alloy and the ZrH2 powder in an inert atmosphere until an average particle diameter D50 falls within the range of from 1 ?m to 500 ?m to thereby obtain a powder mixture; and (b) subjecting the powder mixture to spark plasma sintering by holding the powder mixture at a prescribed temperature lower than eutectic temperature while the powder mixture is pressurized at a pressure within a prescribed range.

Abstract: A terminal supporting apparatus is provided with: a hub that is attached to an end of the outer cable and is provided with a flange on an outer periphery; a cushion member that is provided to surround the outer periphery of the hub and abuts on the flange at both a front surface and a back surface of the flange; and a housing that houses the cushion member. The cushion member includes a large-diameter portion that abuts on the flange. At least within a range contacting with the hub, at least a part of an outer peripheral surface of the large-diameter portion is fixed to an inner surface of the housing, while a clearance is formed between the cushion member and the inner surface of the housing over an entire region of an end surface of the large-diameter portion in a cable axis direction.

Abstract: A printing apparatus includes a housing, a conveying unit configured to unwind a portion of a rolled sheet and convey the unwound sheet, a printing unit configured to print an image on the unwound sheet, a cutter configured to cut off a portion of the unwound sheet, and a sheet sensor configured to detect a portion of the unwound sheet conveyed out of the housing and, upon detecting the portion, output a detection signal that causes the cutter to cut off the unwound sheet.

Abstract: A brake device includes: a battery connected to a power supply line; a fluid pressure unit driven by power from the supply line and applies fluid pressure to a brake; an alternator that receives power from a vehicle engine and generates power at a voltage higher than a charged voltage of the battery; a capacitor that stores the power generated by the alternator; and a DC/DC converter that converts the voltage of the capacitor to a predetermined value and supplies the converted voltage to the supply line. When the vehicle will potentially collide with a forward obstacle, an output of the DC/DC converter is set at a target higher than an output voltage in a normal state before brake actuation, or if output of the DC/DC converter cannot be set at the target voltage, the alternator is driven to connect a generation voltage of the alternator to the supply line.

Abstract: There are provided a method for producing particles by suspension polymerization which ensures an excellent dispersion stability of the monomer and a simpler washing step, composite particles obtainable by this production method, and use of the composite particles. The method for producing composite particles includes a polymerization step of subjecting a monomer mixture which contains a polymerizable vinyl monomer to aqueous suspension polymerization in a presence of small polymer particles having a volume-average particle size of 20 to 500 nm, with a water-soluble cellulose compound adsorbing on surfaces of the small polymer particles, and thereby obtaining composite particles which contain the small polymer particles and large polymer particles greater than the small polymer particles.

Abstract: Disclosed is a composite material including a black pigment, carbon fibers, and a resin, wherein marking is applied with a laser having a wavelength of 100 to 2,000 nm on the composite material having 1) an area proportion of the carbon fibers in its topmost surface layer of 10 to 90%, 2) a proportion of the black pigment contained in the composite material of 0.2 to 20% by mass, and 3) an average fiber length of the carbon fibers of 1 mm or more.

Abstract: A printer includes: a head; a platen roller; a support member supporting the head; a moving mechanism configured to move the support member between a nipping position and a separated position; a positioning member; and a displaceable member. The positioning member has a prescribed portion that contacts a printing medium nipped between the head and the platen roller. The positioning member positions the printing medium in a perpendicular direction perpendicular to a conveying direction of the printing medium. The prescribed portion and the head provide an imaginary straight line extending therebetween when the head is at a position that nips the printing medium in cooperation with the platen roller. The displaceable member supported by the support member moves along a prescribed path in conjunction with a movement of the support member between the nipping position and the separated position. The prescribed path intersects the imaginary straight line.

Abstract: A printing apparatus includes a housing, a conveying unit configured to unwind a portion of a rolled sheet and convey the unwound sheet, a printing unit configured to print an image on the unwound sheet, a cutter configured to cut off a portion of the unwound sheet, and a sheet sensor configured to detect a portion of the unwound sheet conveyed out of the housing and, upon detecting the portion, output a detection signal that causes the cutter to cut off the unwound sheet.

Abstract: The exhaust gas purifying catalyst presented here includes a substrate and a catalyst coat layer formed on the surface of the substrate. The catalyst coat layer is formed in a laminate structure having two layers, with a first layer being nearer to the surface of the substrate and a second layer being relatively further from this surface. The second layer includes a carrier and a noble metal supported on the carrier. The first layer is a noble metal-free layer that does not contain a noble metal but does contain an OSC material having oxygen storage capacity.

Abstract: An object of the present invention is to provide a catalyst for exhaust gas purification, by which exhaust gas can be efficiently purified within a wide temperature range from low to high temperatures. This object can be achieved by using a catalyst for exhaust gas purification, containing a substrate, a lower layer disposed on the substrate, and an upper layer disposed on the lower layer, wherein the lower layer contains: a lower catalytic layer that contains a first material having oxygen storage/release capacity and a first catalytic metal supported on the first material; and a non-catalytic layer that contains a second material having oxygen storage/release capacity but does not contain catalytic metal; in which the lower catalytic layer and the non-catalytic layer are laminated in any order; and an upper catalytic layer that contains a second catalytic metal.

Abstract: The present application provides a method for adjusting spring characteristics of a spring to desired spring characteristics. In the adjusting method of the present application, first, the spring is compressed until a “load-displacement” measurement line obtained by measuring the load applied to the spring and the displacement of the spring meets a “load-displacement” target line determined based on “load-displacement” characteristics of the spring and the desired spring characteristics (S10-S14). Next, the spring is expanded such that the load applied to the spring decreases along the “load-displacement” target line (S18).

Abstract: An electric motor 1 includes: a shaft 3 formed of a magnetic member; a rotor 5 and a sensor target 21 that rotate integrally with the shaft 3; stators 7, 8 with an armature winding 6 and by its energization, generating a rotating magnetic field; a field magnet 9 sandwiched by the stators 7, 8 to magnetize the rotor 5; and a rotation sensor 20 placed in the side of the stators 7, 8 to determine a rotational position of the shaft 3. The rotation sensor 20 incorporates a sensor magnet that generates a magnetic field passing across a sensor target 21 and a sensor element that detects a magnetic flux of the sensor magnet that varies according to a rotational position of the sensor target 21, and is placed so that the magnetic flux direction of the sensor magnet is the same as that of the field magnet 9.

Abstract: A structural member includes a cylindrical main body member and at least one nonmagnetic bracket member which includes a cylindrical section and plate-shape sections protruding from the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical section. The main body member is inserted into the cylindrical section of the bracket member, a gap is formed between the outer surface of the main body member and the inner surface of the cylindrical section in the root portion of a rib on the bracket member, and the entire circumference of the bracket member is electromagnetically contracted to fasten the structural member by swaging.

Abstract: An electromagnetic forming coil device includes a conductor coil; and a magnetic field shaper including a tubular portion disposed in the conductor coil, and an end wall portion that extends from a base end portion thereof, which is at one end of the tubular portion in a longitudinal direction, to an extended end toward an axis of the conductor coil, the end wall portion having a cavity surface at the extended end, the cavity surface surrounding a workpiece. The tubular portion and the end wall portion are each divided into sections in the longitudinal direction, and the magnetic field shaper includes insulating layers disposed on the divided sections of each of the tubular portion and the end wall portion and on the cavity surface. The extended end of the end wall portion is disposed at a position protruding outward from a position of the conductor coil in the longitudinal direction.

Abstract: A method for forming a wire into a coil spring includes winding the wire around a coiling mandrel to form the wire into a cylindrical coil shape, clamping one end of the wire formed into the cylindrical coil shape, clamping an intermediate portion of the wire spaced from the clamped one end of the wire; and moving the clamped one end of the wire relative to the clamped intermediate position at least in an axis direction of the cylindrical coil shape, whereby a pigtail having a desired shape is formed.

Abstract: The present application provides a method for adjusting spring characteristics of a spring to desired spring characteristics. In the adjusting method of the present application, first, the spring is compressed until a “load-displacement” measurement line obtained by measuring the load applied to the spring and the displacement of the spring meets a “load-displacement” target line determined based on “load-displacement” characteristics of the spring and the desired spring characteristics (S10-S14). Next, the spring is expanded such that the load applied to the spring decreases along the “load-displacement” target line (S18).