Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image former that forms and fixes an image of the adjustment chart on the sheet, an image reader that reads the adjustment chart formed on the sheet, a front and back adjuster that performs the front and back adjustment on a basis of the adjustment chart that is formed and fixed by the image former and read by the image reader, an image coverage rate calculator that calculates in advance an image coverage rate of the sheet included in one job to be executed by the image former, and a chart coverage rate determiner that determines a coverage rate of the adjustment chart to be formed on a front side of the sheet on a basis of the image coverage rate calculated by the image coverage rate calculator.

Abstract: An insertion device includes a thin and elongated insertion section, a rotating body which is rotated to advance or retreat the insertion section, a driving force supply source which supplies a driving force to the rotating body, a variable stiffness section provided for the insertion section and permitting stiffness of the insertion section to be varied, a stiffness detector which detects the stiffness of the insertion section varied by the variable stiffness section, and a controller which controls the driving force supply source in accordance with the stiffness of the insertion section detected by the stiffness detector.

Abstract: A control apparatus controls an operation of a self-propelled mechanism of an endoscope. The control apparatus includes a drive circuit that outputs a motor current, a motor current detection circuit that acquires a value relating to magnitude of the motor current as a detection value, a storage circuit that stores a limit value relating to the detection value, and a control circuit that performs an operation as a first controller that controls the drive circuit so as to stop the motor when it is determined that the detection value exceeds a value relating to the limit value, and performs an operation as a second controller that controls the drive circuit so as to stop the motor when it is determined that the detection value exceeds the value relating to the limit value.

Abstract: A self-propelled endoscope apparatus includes a rotation body, a motor, a drive circuit, and a regeneration protection circuit. The rotation body is provided on an outer peripheral surface of an elongated insertion section. The rotation body is configured to be rotatable. The motor rotates the rotation body. The drive circuit drives the motor. The regeneration protection circuit performs protecting operation for protecting the drive circuit from regeneration voltage generated by regeneration of the motor.

Abstract: A controller which controls an operation of a self-propelled mechanism of an endoscope includes an inspection control section, a usual control section, an endoscope connection detection circuit and a control switch section. The endoscope connection detection circuit detects that the endoscope has been connected. The control switch section determines whether or not the inspection operation is performed for the endoscope at the time of the connection of the endoscope, causes the usual control section to perform the usual operation when the inspection operation is performed, and causes the inspection control section to perform the inspection operation and then causes the usual control section to perform the usual operation when the inspection operation is not performed.

Abstract: A door hole seal includes: a sheet body configured to operably couple to a door inner panel for covering an opening on the door inner panel; a synthetic resin film for joining the sheet body to the door inner panel, the synthetic resin film being transparent, the synthetic resin film including: an internal circumferential end which sticks to the sheet body; and an outer circumferential end which sticks to an inner-cabin side of the door inner panel by adhesive; and a sheet separation provided at a distance from the sheet body and between an outer circumferential end of the sheet body and the outer circumferential end of the synthetic resin film, the sheet separation adhering to the synthetic resin film.

Abstract: An endoscope apparatus includes an elongated insertion portion, a self-propelling mechanism configured to be rotatably driven to advance and retract the insertion portion, and a motor configured to supply a drive force to the self-propelling mechanism. A control apparatus for the endoscope apparatus includes a current controller configured to supply a motor current to the motor to control driving of the motor, a motor current detector configured to detect a value of the motor current, a motor current change amount detector configured to detect an amount of change in the value of the motor current, and a limit controller configured to stop a supply of the motor current by the current controller according to the amount of change.

Abstract: A controller is configured to control an operation of a self-propelled mechanism provided in an elongated insertion section of an endoscope. The controller includes a circuit configured to: acquire a speed value corresponding to a rotation speed of a motor of the self-propelled mechanism; acquire a torque value corresponding to a torque generated by the motor; control rotation of the motor by switching between at least two of speed control that controls rotation of the motor based on the speed value and torque control that controls rotation of the motor based on the torque value; and stop the rotation of the motor if the torque value has exceeded a predetermined threshold value, perform the torque control when the rotation of the motor is resumed.

Abstract: An insertion apparatus includes an insertion section, a motor that rotates a rotational housing, a drive control unit that supplies a driving current to the motor to control driving of the motor, a temperature detector provided in the rotational housing, that detects a temperature of the rotational housing, a temperature measurement unit that measures a temperature in a vicinity of the rotational housing based on a detection result obtained from the temperature detector, a heating element used for heating, and a heating control unit that controls the heating element to perform heating when a measurement result of the temperature measurement unit is lower than a predetermined temperature.

Abstract: An insertion apparatus includes an insertion section, a rotational housing, a motor, and a controller. The motor rotates the rotational housing. The controller designates a rotational direction of the motor. The controller limits the rotational direction of the motor to allow the insertion section to move only in a removal direction when inspection control for inspecting an operation relative to an insertion direction of the insertion section is initiated.

Abstract: A liquid crystal display element having an improved response speed by using a liquid crystal compound having a high K33, while neither improving nor deteriorating all the characteristics as a liquid crystal display element. The liquid crystal display element 10 of the present invention has a first substrate 15, a second substrate 15?, and a liquid crystal composition layer 5 interposed between the first substrate 15 and the second substrate 15?, wherein at least one of the first substrate 15 and the second substrate 15? has an electrode that controls the liquid crystal composition layer 5 and the bend elastic constant K33 of at least one kind of liquid crystal compounds in the liquid crystal composition constituting the liquid crystal composition layer 5 is 20 pN or more.

Abstract: The invention aims to provide a heat-storage material which can prevent supercooling. The heat-storage material according to the invention includes: a heat-storage substance which reversibly changes between an aqueous solution containing tetraalkylammonium salt and a clathrate hydrate containing the tetraalkylammonium salt as a guest molecule; and alum which is added to the aqueous solution containing tetraalkylammonium salt. Tetrabutylammonium bromide is used as the tetraalkylammonium salt. Potassium alum or ammonium alum is used as the alum.

Abstract: The present invention is intended to provide a storage container that includes a shelf member holding a heat storage material arranged optimally. In a storage container that preserves an object at predetermined temperature, the storage container includes a storage room in which the object is preserved, and a shelf member disposed within the storage room, the shelf member including a flat portion on which the object is placed, and a heat storage material arranged to the flat portion in a way distributed depending on a temperature distribution near the flat portion within the storage room during steady operation. The heat storage material is arranged to be localized to a region of the flat portion at a relatively low-temperature side depending on the temperature distribution within the storage room.

Abstract: A heat-storage material that provides a sufficiently large amount of thermal energy as a latent-heat storage material including a semiclathrate hydrate and that improves hysteresis between the solidifying temperature and the melting starting temperature and a refrigerator and a cooling container that include the heat-storage material are provided. The heat-storage material that changes phase at a predetermined temperature includes water, a main agent including a quaternary ammonium salt that forms a semiclathrate hydrate, a pH adjuster that maintains alkaline properties, and a nucleating agent that generates a cation that exhibits positive hydration. In such an aqueous solution maintained to be alkaline, the nucleating agent becomes a nucleus in solidification, and thus, the temperature difference between the solidifying temperature and the melting temperature can be decreased.

Abstract: A controller controls a first device, one of an endoscope and a treatment instrument being the first device, a remaining one of the endoscope and the treatment instrument being a second device, the endoscope comprising an insertion tube and a self-propelled mechanism adapted to generate force for insertion or removal of the insertion tube. The controller includes a determination unit configured to determine whether or not the second device is functioning; and a control unit configured to restrict an operation of the first device if the second device is determined to be functioning.

Abstract: A controller which controls an operation of a self-propelled mechanism of an endoscope includes an inspection control section, a usual control section, an endoscope connection detection circuit and a control switch section. The endoscope connection detection circuit detects that the endoscope has been connected. The control switch section determines whether or not the inspection operation is performed for the endoscope at the time of the connection of the endoscope, causes the usual control section to perform the usual operation when the inspection operation is performed, and causes the inspection control section to perform the inspection operation and then causes the usual control section to perform the usual operation when the inspection operation is not performed.

Abstract: A protecting cover includes a body and an opening. The body covers a case that has an outer surface and that includes components connected to each other at least one connecting portion to house a circuit board in an inner side of the case opposite to the outer surface. The body is to cover at least part of the at least one connecting portion. The opening exposes at least part of the outer surface of the case.

Abstract: There is a need to provide an image generator and an image generation method capable of avoiding wasting a normal printed matter if any in sheets of paper output after an occurrence of waste paper. When paper contains an abnormal image, the paper is detected as waste paper based on a read result from an image read sensor. Detection of the waste paper allows an image generator to perform reprint from a print job for the waste paper. Normal-image paper may be contained in sheets of paper output between detection of the waste paper and the reprint to be performed. In this case, the normal-image paper is used as a normal printed matter and is avoided from being consumed wastefully.

Abstract: This flocking powder coated article comprises a base material (10) and a flocking coating layer (11). The flocking coating layer (11) includes: a coating film (110) constituted by a powder coating, and a portion of a flocking organic filler (13) buried in the powder coating; and a flocking layer (111) constituted by another portion of the flocking organic filler (13) projecting from the coating film (110). This flocking powder coated article does not have an adhesive layer for fixing the flocking organic filler (13).

Abstract: An endoscope insertion shape observation apparatus includes an endoscope, a magnetic field generation coil provided at an insertion portion of the endoscope and configured to generate a magnetic field, an antenna unit configured to receive a coil signal from the magnetic field generation coil, a bending portion configured to bend the insertion portion, a bending drive section configured to drive the bending portion to bend, an insertion shape processing circuit configured to generate an insertion shape of the endoscope inserted into a subject according to a signal received from the antenna unit, a touch panel configured to display a generation result of the insertion shape processing circuit and be able to perform touch operation, and a drive section control circuit configured to control a drive amount of the bending drive section based on the touch operation on a desired location of the insertion shape displayed on the touch panel.