Abstract: There is provided a control apparatus for a gas sensor, which has a sensor element equipped with first and second oxygen pumping cells. The sensor control apparatus is configured to drive the first oxygen pumping cell to adjust the oxygen concentration of gas under measurement, drive the second oxygen pumping cell to produce a flow of electric current according to the amount of oxygen pumped out of the oxygen concentration adjusted gas by the second oxygen pumping cell, perform specific drive control to control the amount of oxygen pumped by the second oxygen pumping cell to a predetermined level after startup of the sensor element and before the application of the drive voltage between the electrodes of the second oxygen pumping cell.

Abstract: A cranking torque control apparatus (100) is mounted on a hybrid vehicle (1) provided with: an engine (11); a motor (MG1) coupled with the engine and capable of cranking the engine; and a battery (21) capable of supplying electric power to the motor. The cranking torque control apparatus is provided with: a correcting device (22) for estimating a fluctuation amount of power consumption caused by a rotational fluctuation of the engine when the motor cranks the engine and for correcting an upper limit of outputtable electric power of the battery in accordance with the estimated fluctuation amount.

Abstract: An image processing apparatus that can be applied to a wide range of general images and that is capable of improving shitsukan of materials depicted in an image by interactively adjusting multiple physical image characteristics of an image based on human latent sensations. Physical image-characteristic parameters are extracted from an input image. The image-characteristic parameters are processed using a first numerical conversion equation, and various low-order-sensitivity parameters quantifying general latent sensations are calculated. The low-order-sensitivity parameters are processed using a second numerical conversion equation, and high-order-sensitivity parameters quantifying shitsukan for different materials are calculated. An output image of which the shitsukan in the input image are improved by combining various types of image processing for changing the image characteristics so that the high-order-sensitivity parameters approach predetermined values is generated.

Abstract: A cranking torque control apparatus (100) is mounted on a hybrid vehicle provided with: an engine (11), a motor (MG1) coupled with the engine and capable of cranking the engine, and a battery (21) capable of supplying an electric power to the motor. The cranking torque control apparatus is provided with: a setting device (22) capable of setting an output limit value which is a limit value for the electric power outputted from the battery in accordance with an electric power deviation when the motor cranks the engine; and a controlling device (22) for controlling said setting device not to set the output limit value under a condition that a voltage of the battery falls below a lower limit voltage associated with the battery due to resonance of the engine or due to a first fire of the engine.

Abstract: The present invention provides a fungal bed culture of a hon-shimeji mushroom inoculated with a liquid seed culture wherein the surface of a culture medium for cultivation has a liquid seed culture inoculated portion and a liquid seed culture non-inoculated portion as well as provides a fungal bed cultivation method of a hon-shimeji mushroom which generates a fruit body from the fungal bed culture. According to the present invention, the formation rate of budlet in the fungal bed cultivation of a hon-shimeji mushroom is improved, thereby enabling stable production of a hon-shimeji mushroom in large scale commercial cultivation.

Abstract: A switching power supply apparatus includes: an input part; an input filter provided for a power factor correction circuit, which includes at least a line capacitor; a bridgeless power factor correction circuit that is connected to the input part; and an inrush current suppression circuit to suppress inrush current, wherein the bridgeless power factor correction circuit comprises: a conversion unit, which has a boost inductor unit and a switching circuit connected to the boost inductor unit; and a smoothing unit that is connected to an output terminal side of the conversion unit, and wherein the inrush current suppression circuit is arranged at least one of: a path connecting between an end of the input filter and the boost inductor unit; a path connecting between the boost inductor unit and the switching circuit; and a path connecting between the switching circuit and the smoothing unit.

Abstract: An angular velocity sensor includes a vibration body having a sensor electrode, a driving electrode, and a monitor electrode. The monitor electrode generates a signal according to vibration of the vibration body. The sensor circuit outputs a signal representing an angular velocity applied to the vibration body. The amplitude determination circuit measures amplitude of vibration of the vibration body. A PLL circuit includes a constant voltage source for generating a constant voltage, a timing switching unit for outputting a voltage by switching selectively between the constant voltage and a voltage corresponding to the monitor signal, and a voltage-controlled oscillator for outputting an oscillation signal having a frequency corresponding to the voltage output from the timing switching unit.

Abstract: An image display apparatus is provided that avoids discontinuity in a high luminance and gradation range and is capable of displaying gradations where differences in sense of luminance change at equal intervals from an intermediate gradation range to the maximum value of the gradations. A gradation/light emission luminance converter 104 converts the gradation of an input image into data corresponding to a luminance to be displayed by a video light emitter 107 using predetermined conversion characteristics. In an intermediate gradation range, the common logarithms of the luminances to be displayed by the video light emitter 107 have a proportional relation to the gradations. In the high luminance and gradation range, the relation gradually deviates from the proportional relation; the nearer the gradation approaches the maximum value thereof, the larger the variation quantity of the common logarithm of the luminance to be assigned to an increment of the gradations becomes.

Abstract: The present invention relates to an imaging apparatus and method capable of improving operability regarding a zooming operation and suppressing the photographing of an unstably focused image. A zoom information acquisition section 201 acquires the information specifying both a zoom direction of zoom-in or zoom-out and a zoom speed. A subject information acquisition section 202 acquires the information, which specifies the coordinate position of the upper left corner of an AF tracking frame and the area of the AF tracking frame, regarding a detected subject. A threshold value setting section 203 sets the value of a predetermined zoom speed as a threshold value for determining whether or not to release a subject tracking AF function. A switching determination section 204 determines whether or not to release the subject tracking AF function on the basis of the zoom speed acquired by the zoom information acquisition section 201 and the threshold value set by the threshold value setting section 203.

Abstract: To provide a control system capable of setting a various kinds of driving mode, and shifting the driving mode regardless of the rotational speed of the engine.

Abstract: An angular velocity sensor includes a vibration, first and second sensor electrodes generating an electric charge responsive to an angular velocity applied to the vibration body, first and D/A converters each outputting at least two levels of an electric charge, first and second integrator circuits integrating the electric charge generated by the first and second sensor electrodes and the electric charges output from the first and second D/A converters, respectively, a comparator unit comparing output signals from the first and second integrator circuits, first and second D/A switching units switching levels of the output signals from the first and second D/A converters according to a comparison result of the comparator unit, a first disconnection detecting switch connected between the first sensor electrode and the first integrator circuit, a first voltage source for injecting an electric charge into a point between the first sensor electrode and the first integrator circuit via the first disconnection detec

Abstract: The pneumatic tire for two-wheeled vehicles including a plurality of tread rubbers constituting a tread wherein a region occupying 15 to 35% in the center of a stretched tread width, which is obtained by stretching the tread with respect to a tire equatorial plane as the center, is defined as a tread central section; the remaining regions at both ends are defined as tread side sections; regions in the respective tread side sections each occupying 4 to 13% from the corresponding tread end toward the center of the stretched tread width are defined as side-section shoulder-end regions; and the remaining regions of the respective tread side sections are defined as side-section near-center regions, a modulus of the tread rubbers for the side-section shoulder-end regions at 100% elongation is smaller than a modulus of the tread rubbers for the side-section near-center regions at 100% elongation, at least at a tread surface.

Abstract: There is provided a method for controlling a switching power unit that converts AC input voltages of an AC source into a DC voltages while improving a power-factor of the AC input voltages, the switching power unit comprising an AC/DC converter circuit that is composed of a power-factor correction unit and a current resonance converter unit wherein at least a part of switching elements of the current resonance converter unit is shared with switching elements of the power-factor correction unit, wherein around timing that polarities of the AC source are switched between a positive half cycle and a negative half cycle, ON-and-OFF control of the switching elements are performed as that high frequency voltages that are applied to a primary winding of a high frequency transformer which is a part of the current resonance converter unit are to be symmetrical in a positive and negative relation.

Abstract: A physical quantity sensor includes a deformable body in which strain occurs in response to a stress applied thereto, a vibrator vibrating with a frequency according to the strain or with an amplitude according to the strain, and a processor processing a signal output from the vibrator. The vibrator is mounted to the deformable body such that the strain transmits to the vibrator. The processor is bonded to the deformable body such that the strain does not substantially transmit to the processor. This physical quantity sensor can stably detects strain and tension acting on an object.

Abstract: A data processing device includes: a face-detecting unit to detect a face region from an input image input from an imaging unit which images a subject including a face; a setting unit to calculate subject distance based on the face size of the face detected by the face-detecting unit, and set limits as a focus lens operation range before and after a focus lens position with the calculated subject distance as focal distance; a detecting unit to move a focus lens within the limits set by the setting unit, and detect a focal point where a detection value corresponding to the contrast intensity obtained from a face frame including the face detected by the face-detecting unit is not smaller than a threshold; and a control unit to determine, in a case wherein a focal point has been detected within predetermined set time, the focal point thereof as a focus position.

Abstract: The present invention provides a patterning method of an organic EL device that can easily and efficiently be performed with high definition, and that can control a contrast by a luminous brightness. In an organic EL device having an organic layer, including an organic luminescent material, formed between a pair of counter electrodes, ultraviolet ray is irradiated to the organic layer, and the amount of irradiation is changed to form an emission pattern having a contrast caused by a luminous brightness corresponding to the amount of the irradiation of the ultraviolet ray.

Abstract: When a required speed ratio as a required value of a speed ratio between an engine and a driveshaft becomes equal to or less than a lower limit speed ratio that is not more than an n-th shift speed ratio during an n-th speed state of a transmission, a hybrid vehicle controls the engine, two motors, and the transmission to ensure output of power based on a torque demand to the driveshaft while performing an engine rotational speed adjustment of making a rotational speed of the engine equal to a shift rotational speed corresponding to an upper side shift speed ratio or an effective shift speed ratio and a shift from an n-th speed state to an (n+1)-th speed state.

Abstract: The angular velocity sensor of the present invention has one end connected to holding section and the other end connected to weighting section. According to the angular velocity sensor, driving arm has a dog-leg structure of arms extending in a direction perpendicular to a connecting direction of holding section and weighting section.

Abstract: Problem: To provide a method for fungal bed cultivation of a mushroom of a large size having an excellent shape and crunchy texture, a mushroom cutting useful for the fungal bed cultivation method, a culture medium for fungal bed cultivation into which the cutting is transplanted, and a culture medium suitable for fungal bed cultivation. Solution: A method for cultivating a mushroom in a fungal bed comprising a step of transplanting an isolated cutting of the mushroom into a culture medium for fungal bed cultivation, an isolated cutting of a mushroom to be used in the method, and a culture medium for fungal bed cultivation of a mushroom into which the cutting is transplanted.

Abstract: According to the present invention, there is provided a fungal bed cultivation method of a hon-shimeji mushroom, wherein induction of primordia of a fruit body is conducted by illumination under incubation conditions, and an ongoing culture for fungal bed cultivation of a hon-shimeji mushroom, wherein primordia of a fruit body have been formed thereon during incubation. The culture medium is maintained in a clean state and it is advantageous because the formation of primordia of a fruit body can be carried out in a clean environment and the culture medium wherein primordia of a fruit body have been formed can be transferred to distant mushroom cultivation facilities under clean conditions as such.