Abstract: A coil component includes an insulator part and a coil part. The insulator part is constituted by an electrical insulation material, and is no more than 600 ?m long and no more than 600 ?m high. The coil part is wound around one axis and placed inside the insulator part. The coil part has an opening part constituted by straight line parts and curved line parts and whose shape as viewed from the one axis direction is an approximate quadrangle, wherein the line length of the curved line parts along the inner periphery of the opening part is 20% or more but no more than 40% of the line length of the inner periphery of the opening part. The coil component can satisfy both a size reduction need and the properties need.

Abstract: The present invention provides a boron diffusion layer forming method capable of sufficiently oxidizing a boron silicide layer formed on a silicon substrate to remove it and obtaining a high-quality boron silicate glass layer. The present invention is a boron diffusion layer forming method of forming a boron diffusion layer on a silicon substrate by a boron diffusion process, the process including a first step of thermally diffusing boron on the silicon substrate and a second step of oxidizing a boron silicide layer formed on the silicon substrate at the first step, wherein the second step has a state at a temperature of 900° C. or higher and a treatment temperature at the first step or lower, for 15 minutes or more.

Abstract: A method of producing a solar cell, including: a first coating step in which a pre-wet composition is spin-coated on a surface of a semiconductor substrate; a second coating step in which a diffusing material including a solvent and a diffusing agent containing a first impurity element is spin-coated on the surface where the pre-wet composition has been spin-coated, so as to form a coating film of the diffusing agent; and a first impurity diffusion layer forming step in which the semiconductor substrate having the coating film formed thereon is heated, so as to form a first impurity diffusion layer in which the impurity element contained in the diffusing agent is diffused.

Abstract: The present invention provides a boron diffusion layer forming method capable of sufficiently oxidizing a boron silicide layer formed on a silicon substrate to remove it and obtaining a high-quality boron silicate glass layer. The present invention is a boron diffusion layer forming method of forming a boron diffusion layer on a silicon substrate by a boron diffusion process, the process including a first step of thermally diffusing boron on the silicon substrate and a second step of oxidizing a boron silicide layer formed on the silicon substrate at the first step, wherein the second step has a state at a temperature of 900° C. or higher and a treatment temperature at the first step or lower, for 15 minutes or more.

Abstract: [Problem] To provide a solar battery cell such that higher conversion efficiency than ever before is achieved and conversion efficiency of its front surface and conversion efficiency of its rear surface become almost equivalent in a double-sided light-receiving type solar battery cell. [Solution] There is provided a solar battery cell including: an n-type silicon substrate having a thickness of not less than 100 ?m nor more than 250 ?m; a p-type diffusion layer formed on a first light-receiving surface being a front surface of the silicon substrate; an n-type diffusion layer formed on a second light-receiving surface being a rear surface of the silicon substrate; an anti-reflection film formed on the p-type diffusion layer and the n-type diffusion layer; a plurality of grid electrodes and a plurality of busbar electrodes that are formed on part of the p-type diffusion layer; and a plurality of grid electrodes and a plurality of busbar electrodes that are formed on part of the n-type diffusion layer.

Abstract: A method of producing a solar cell, including: a first coating step in which a pre-wet composition is spin-coated on a surface of a semiconductor substrate; a second coating step in which a diffusing material including a solvent and a diffusing agent containing a first impurity element is spin-coated on the surface where the pre-wet composition has been spin-coated, so as to form a coating film of the diffusing agent; and a first impurity diffusion layer forming step in which the semiconductor substrate having the coating film formed thereon is heated, so as to form a first impurity diffusion layer in which the impurity element contained in the diffusing agent is diffused.

Abstract: An image capturing unit for an electronic endoscope, including a solid-state image capturing element, a metallic housing member, which hermetically encloses a circumference of an insulated base and is arranged to cover a front-end portion of the insulated base, at least one connection land, which is connected to at least one signal conductor at a position in vicinity to a rear-end portion of the insulated base outside the housing member, and a conductive cylindrical shield, which surrounds the at least one connection land and the at least one signal conductor and is spaced from the at least one connection land and the at least one signal conductor in a radial direction, is provided. An outer periphery of the rear-end portion of the insulated base is formed to be smaller than the circumference of the insulated base enclosed by the housing member.

Abstract: A command-inputting apparatus includes a display for displaying an operation menu; a position-detecting unit for detecting a three-dimensional position of a command object specifying a command on the operation menu; and a command-detecting unit for determining a command point on the operation menu, based on the detected three-dimensional position of the command object and the viewpoint of the user specifying the command.

Abstract: An image capturing unit for an electronic endoscope is provided with a solid-state image capturing element having multiple boding wires arranged at peripheral positions on a front surface of the solid-state image capturing element, the bonding wires extending outward, an image capturing element holding frame in which the solid-state image capturing element is held and a transparent cover glass enclosing the front surface of the solid-state image capturing element from outside, together with a tip end portion of the image capturing element holding frame. The tip end portion of the image capturing element holding frame is formed to have a tubular section, the cover glass being fitted in the tubular section and located at a position where the cover glass does not contact the bonding wires, the cover glass being air-tightly cemented to the tubular section.

Abstract: An image capturing unit for an electronic endoscope, includes an image capturing element with an image capturing area, at least one bonding wire, which is extended curvedly and outwardly from at least one edge portion of a surface of the image capturing element to at least one conductor, and a transparent cover plate, which is fixed to a frame and is adapted to seal the image capturing element from an external environment. The cover plate is formed to have at least one bonding wire preventing portion, which is adapted to prevent the at least one bonding wire from being in contact with the cover plate. An edge portion on a front surface of the cover plate is hermetically sealed to the frame.

Abstract: When a vehicle is traveling along a route toward a parking lot located near a destination facility, if traffic congestion along the route is detected, the navigation apparatus searches for an alternative parking lot that allows a user to reach the destination facility earlier than can by using the original parking lot. If such an alternative parking lot is detected, the predicted driving time and the predicted walking time are displayed together with a route to the parking lot. When traffic congestion is encountered when transporting a passenger by vehicle, the navigation apparatus determines a quicker way for the passenger to reach the destination facility. If the navigation apparatus detects that the passenger can reach the destination facility earlier if the passenger disembarks the vehicle and walks to the destination facility, the navigation apparatus presents information indicating a best point at which the passenger should disembark the vehicle.

Abstract: An insertion portion of an endoscope includes a flexible tubular framework composed of short-cylindrical joint rings coupled in series via rotatable connecting shafts; and flexible internal elements including a treatment tool insertion channel and a optical fiber bundle(s). Each short-cylindrical joint ring is coupled at one end to one adjacent joint ring via two connecting shafts at 180-degree symmetrical positions and is coupled at the other end to another adjacent joint ring via another two connecting shafts at 180-degree symmetrical positions with a 90-degree phase shift with respect to the one adjacent joint ring. Inner end surfaces of one set of connecting shafts at a specific circumferential position are arranged to face the treatment tool insertion channel, and inner end surfaces of another set of the connecting shafts at another specific circumferential direction are arranged to face or substantially face the optical fiber bundle.

Abstract: An insertion portion of an endoscope includes a bendable flexible tubular framework composed of a plurality of short-cylindrical joint rings which are coupled in series via rotatable connecting shafts, and a plurality of flexible internal elements which are inserted into the flexible tubular framework and arranged to extend straightly in an axial direction of the flexible tubular framework upon distal ends of the flexible internal elements being fixed to a distal end of the insertion portion. Inner end surfaces of each of the connecting shafts are positioned between two adjacent flexible internal elements of the flexible internal elements around a perimeter of the plurality of flexible internal elements.

Abstract: An image capturing element package for an electronic endoscope is provided with a solid-state image capturing element, an insulating base member made of electronically insulating material and configured to hold the image capturing element, a metallic package housing surrounding the solid-state image capturing element, a proximal end portion of the metallic package housing being air-tightly welded to the insulating base member, a window portion being formed on a front end surface of the metallic package housing, a cover glass air-tightly secured to the window portion, and a housing reinforcing member arranged along an inner surface of the metallic package housing, the housing reinforcing member being formed not to deform when a force exceeding strength at which the package housing is durable against deformation.

Abstract: An image capturing device for an electronic endoscope is provided with a solid-state image capturing element, an image capturing element holding frame, an objective lens barrel containing an objective optical system, an air-tight connection tube, a front end portion of the connection tube being air-tightly connected to the objective lens barrel, a rear end portion of the connection tube being air-tightly fitted on the image capturing element holding frame. Multiple connection lands to which multiple signal lines of a signal cable are connected are arranged on an outer circumferential surface, at a rear portion, of the image capturing element holding frame, the rear end portion of the connection tube being air-tightly connected to the outer circumference of the image capturing element holding frame on an front side, a size of an outline of the multiple signal lines being smaller than an outer shape of the connection tube.

Abstract: An image capturing unit for an electronic endoscope is provided with a solid-state image capturing element having multiple boding wires arranged at peripheral positions on a front surface of the solid-state image capturing element, the bonding wires extending outward, an image capturing element holding frame in which the solid-state image capturing element is held and a transparent cover glass enclosing the front surface of the solid-state image capturing element from outside, together with a tip end portion of the image capturing element holding frame. The tip end portion of the image capturing element holding frame is formed to have a tubular section, the cover glass being fitted in the tubular section and located at a position where the cover glass does not contact the bonding wires, the cover glass being air-tightly cemented to the tubular section.

Abstract: An image capturing unit for an electronic endoscope, including a solid-state image capturing element, a metallic housing member, which hermetically encloses a circumference of an insulated base and is arranged to cover a front-end portion of the insulated base, at least one connection land, which is connected to at least one signal conductor at a position in vicinity to a rear-end portion of the insulated base outside the housing member, and a conductive cylindrical shield, which surrounds the at least one connection land and the at least one signal conductor and is spaced from the at least one connection land and the at least one signal conductor in a radial direction, is provided. An outer periphery of the rear-end portion of the insulated base is formed to be smaller than the circumference of the insulated base enclosed by the housing member.

Abstract: An image capturing unit for an electronic endoscope, including a solid-state image capturing element with an image capturing area, at least one bonding wire, which is extended curvedly and outwardly from at least one edge portion of a surface of the solid-state image capturing element to at least one conductor, and a transparent cover plate, which is fixed to a frame and is adapted to seal the image capturing element from external, is provided. The cover plate is formed to have at least one bonding wire preventing portion, which is adapted to prevent the at least one bonding wire from being in contact with the cover plate. An edge portion on a front surface of the cover glass is hermetically sealed to the frame.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for vehicle-to-vehicle communication between vehicles having vehicle-to-vehicle communication apparatuses. When a vehicle transmits a request, a network is formed including the vehicle that has transmitted the request and the vehicles that should respond to the request. The vehicles included in the network respond to the request or take action in response to the request.

Abstract: A display device is provided for making images of a movie, a TV or the like invisible to a driver while the vehicle is traveling, but at the same time visible to a passenger riding in a front passenger seat. A viewing angle control shutter 20 using a liquid crystal is disposed facing a front surface of a liquid crystal display panel 19. When the vehicle is in a stopping state, the viewing angle control shutter 20 is set to off, thereby making the image that is displayed on the display panel 19 visible from the driver's seat side and the front passenger seat side. While the vehicle is traveling, the viewing angle control shutter 20 is driven such that the driver can watch an image produced by the navigation device 13, but cannot watch an image reproduced by a DVD reproduction device 14.