Abstract: The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus comprising a plurality of movable image carriers, a movable intermediate transfer body, and contacting means separably contacting to said intermediate transfer body at a contacting position. Said image carrier located most closely to said contacting position in a direction extending along said intermediate transfer body on a downstream side in a moving direction of said intermediate transfer body with respect to said contacting position. Said image carrier located most closely to said contacting position in a direction extending along said intermediate transfer body on an upstream side in a moving direction of said intermediate transfer body with respect to said contacting position. A toner image formed on said intermediate transfer body is again transferred onto a transfer material after passing through said first transfer position and said second transfer position.

Abstract: A color image forming apparatus having a plural-color image print mode for successively forming images of plural colors, and a single-color image print mode for forming an image of a single color, and capable of forming, in the plural-color image print mode, a frame of single-color image, and thereafter superimposing and forming an image of the next color on the single-color image has a fixing apparatus for fixing an image on a recording medium on which an image of plural colors or a single color has been formed, and a temperature controlling portion for controlling the temperature of the fixing apparatus so as to become a target temperature, and the fixing apparatus has a heating member and a pressure member and transports the recording medium to a nip part constituted by the heating member and the pressure member, and the temperature controlling portion, when plural sheets of print is to be continuously effected, changes over the target temperature of the heating member when a predetermined number of sheets

Abstract: A position detecting method includes the steps of forming an image of a mark on a sensor, performing a first process that processes a raw signal obtained from the sensor with plural parameters, performing a second process that determines an edge of a signal processed by the first process for each parameter, determining a parameter from a result of the second process obtained for each parameter, and calculating a position of the mark based on a determined parameter.

Abstract: The present invention provides a drive control apparatus for driving an electric oil pump by supplying it with a predetermined operating voltage so as to decrease a load on the electric oil pump. The drive control apparatus detects a clutch hydraulic pressure supplied to the hydraulic control apparatus for the automatic transmission and drives the electric oil pump so that a required hydraulic pressure is maintained. In this case, the drive control apparatus detects an oil temperature of the hydraulic control apparatus for the automatic transmission, controls the operating voltage of the electric oil pump based on the oil temperature, and supplies the operating voltage to th electric oil pump. Accordingly, the hydraulic pressure supplied from the electric oil pump maintains the hydraulic pressure required for the hydraulic control of the automatic transmission and prevents supply of a greater hydraulic pressure than is required.

Abstract: A driving control device of a vehicle including an automatic transmission with a hydraulic control device which hydraulically controls an engagement of the frictional engagement element, a mechanical oil pump which is driven by the engine and supplies hydraulic pressure to the hydraulic control device and an electric oil pump which supplies hydraulic pressure to the hydraulic control device and a motor connected to the mechanical oil pump and transmitting the driving force to the automatic transmission, wherein the electric oil pump supplies oil to the hydraulic control device at an engine automatic stopping control time at which the driving of the engine is automatically stopped after the vehicle stops and a predetermined condition is established and the motor is driven so that said mechanical oil pump supplies the oil to the hydraulic control device during the engine automatic stopping control at a time when the electric oil pump can not be driven.

Abstract: This invention provides a computer apparatus which is connected to an exposure apparatus capable of executing AGA measurement by using a set parameter value and another parameter value and executing acquisition processing of acquiring measurement results, and an overlay inspection apparatus for inspecting the processing result obtained with the set parameter value in the exposure apparatus, and which executes optimization processing of optimizing the set parameter value on the basis of the processing results acquired in acquisition processing and the inspection result value by the inspection apparatus. The computer apparatus causes the inspection apparatus to acquire and accumulate inspection result values, and evaluates variations in processing results on the basis of the accumulated inspection results. Based on the evaluation result, the computer apparatus decides a frequency at which acquisition processing in the semiconductor exposure apparatus is executed.

Abstract: A management apparatus which manages a parameter for an industrial device acquires AGA measurement results obtained by operating the industrial device with an operation job parameter value and non-operation job parameter value. An inspection apparatus acquires an “inspection result” obtained by inspecting the result of operating the industrial device in the operation job. A change in inspection result upon a change in parameter value is estimated on the basis of the AGA measurement result and inspection result. A variable which minimizes (extreme) both or at least one of the sensitivity (slope) of the inspection result upon a change in parameter value and variations (3 &sgr;) in inspection result between objects to be processed (e.g., wafers) is set as an optimal parameter.

Abstract: An exposure apparatus performs AGA measurement by using a predetermined sample shot group formed on a wafer, and decides an alignment parameter. The exposure apparatus executes wafer alignment processing and exposure processing by using the alignment parameter. The exposure apparatus notifies a central processing unit (4) of AGA measurement results and the alignment parameter. An overlay inspection apparatus measures an actual exposure position on the exposed wafer, and notifies the central processing unit of the measurement result. The central processing unit (4) optimizes alignment processing on the basis of the AGA measurement results, alignment parameter, and actually measured exposure position.

Abstract: A system which manages a plurality of semiconductor exposure apparatuses holds TIS information representing the characteristics of the respective semiconductor exposure apparatuses. In a semiconductor exposure apparatus, a parameter value is optimized on the basis of AGA measurement results obtained using a set parameter value and another parameter value and AGA measurement estimation results obtained by virtually changing the parameter value. Whether to reflect the optimized parameter value in another industrial device is decided on the basis of the TIS information. If it is decided to reflect the optimized parameter value, the parameter value of another semiconductor exposure apparatus is optimized by the optimized parameter value. In this manner, the optimization result of a parameter value by a given industrial device can be properly reflected in another industrial device, realizing efficient parameter value setting.

Abstract: A hybrid vehicle drive controller, to improve driving comfort during running control, that detects the position of the vehicle and road-condition information, calculates a required deceleration, an optimal speed-change stage, and an adjustable torque. The invention includes, transmission to change the vehicle's speed on the basis of the vehicle position, road-condition information and optimal speed-change stage, and a torque control processor for driving a drive motor that generates the adjustable torque. A regenerative torque is calculated and generated on the basis of the required deceleration and the deceleration corresponding to the optimal speed-change stage.

Abstract: A vehicle control apparatus including an engine, an automatic transmission, a hydraulic servo, a mechanical oil pump, an electric oil pump and a controller that controls driving of the electric oil pump and generates a standby pressure supplied to the hydraulic servo based upon a driving state of the mechanical oil pump, wherein the standby pressure is set less than a line pressure generated based upon driving the mechanical oil pump during idling and equal to or greater than an engagement starting pressure by which the friction engagement element starts transmitting a torque.

Abstract: A driving control device for an electric vehicle includes an electric machine which is driven by a current supplied from a battery, a transmission which is coupled with the electric machine and performs shifting at a predetermined gear ratio, a charging state detecting portion which detects an electric variable that shows a charging state of the battery, a fail determination processing device which determines whether the electric variable exceeds a threshold value and makes a fail determination when the electric variable exceeds the threshold value, and a charging control processing device which decreases a rotational speed of the electric machine and reduces the electric variable when the fail determination is made. The fail determination is made to decrease the rotational speed of the electric machine when field weakening control becomes unperformable and the electric variable exceeds the threshold value, which makes it possible to prevent an overcurrent from being supplied to the battery.

Abstract: If a torque reduction request is outputted during a speed shift, the amount of motor torque reduction achieved by a motor-generator, of a requested amount of torque reduction, is set to a greatest-possible amount, and the amount of engine torque reduction achieved by an engine is set to a smallest-possible amount. The amount of motor torque reduction is set based on the amount of charges stored (SOC) in a battery device. If SOC≦SOC1, the amount of motor torque reduction is set to a maximum value regardless of the value of SOC. If SOC1<SOC≦SOC2, the amount of motor torque reduction is set in accordance with SOC. If SOC2<SOC, the amount of motor torque reduction is set to zero. Thus, the amount of motor torque reduction is set to a greatest-possible value in accordance with the amount of charges stored (SOC).

Abstract: A color printer has multiple developing-agent-containing cartridges each having storage units, and a cartridge holding unit for rotatably holding the developing-agent-containing cartridges. With one of the multiple developing-agent-containing cartridges positioned at an image formation position, a latent image on an image carrying member is developed by the developing agent contained in the developing-agent-containing cartridge. An access position where the storage units of the developing-agent-containing cartridges are accessed is a position other than the image formation position. This provides an image formation device and a control method thereof whereby storage units provided to developing-agent-containing cartridges can be accessed in a precise manner.

Abstract: A driving control device of a vehicle including an automatic transmission with a hydraulic control device which hydraulically controls an engagement of the frictional engagement element, a mechanical oil pump which is driven by the engine and supplies hydraulic pressure to the hydraulic control device and an electric oil pump which supplies hydraulic pressure to the hydraulic control device and a motor connected to the mechanical oil pump and transmitting the driving force to the automatic transmission, wherein the electric oil pump supplies oil to the hydraulic control device at an engine automatic stopping control time at which the driving of the engine is automatically stopped after the vehicle stops and a predetermined condition is established and the motor is driven so that said mechanical oil pump supplies the oil to the hydraulic control device during the engine automatic stopping control at a time when the electric oil pump can not be driven.

Abstract: It is to provide an improved method for preparation of microsphere from an emulsion wherein an organic phase containing an organic solvent having a boiling point lower than that of water and a hardly-water-soluble polymer is emulsified in an aqueous phase by an in-water drying method, which comprises: (1) using an apparatus equipped with a gas separation membrane; (2) supplying the emulsion to be subjected to in-water drying to one side of said gas separation membrane; (3) evaporating off the organic solvent contained in said emulsion to the other side of said gas separation membrane, which can remove the organic solvent with high efficiency and can be carried out in a closed system and hence is favorable from the environmental viewpoint.

Abstract: An alignment apparatus for aligning a reflective reticle includes a light source for emitting alignment light; an optical unit for guiding the alignment light, which has been emitted by the light source, to an alignment mark provided on the reticle and a reference mark provided on a reticle stage that holds the reticle; and detecting unit for detecting the alignment light reflected from the alignment mark and the reference mark, wherein the reticle is aligned on the basis of the result of detection by the detection unit.

Abstract: A control apparatus for a vehicle which executes an automatic stop control of an engine on the basis of a stop condition, and executes a restart control of the engine on the basis of a start condition. The vehicle includes an engagement element which freely interrupts and establishes power transmission between an output of the engine and a drive wheel, a hydraulic servo which freely operates an engagement state of the engagement element and a control unit which executes a feedback control for bringing a hydraulic pressure of the hydraulic servo into a state immediately before the frictional engagement element is engaged, on the basis of the engagement state of the engagement element wherein the control unit starts the feedback control after the hydraulic pressure of the hydraulic servo is controlled to a predetermined hydraulic pressure when the restart control of the engine is executed.

Abstract: A process for producing microspheres, which comprises adding a polymer solution containing a medicament, a biodegradable polymer and a good solvent for said polymer which solvent is miscible with water (Solvent A) to a homogeneous mixture of a poor solvent for said polymer which solvent is miscible with said Solvent A (Solvent B) and a poor solvent for said polymer which solvent is immiscible with said Solvent A (Solvent C), emulsifying the mixture to prepare an emulsion wherein the polymer solution forms a dispersed phase and the homogeneous mixture forms a continuous phase, and then removing Solvent A from the dispersed phase.

Abstract: A position detecting method and position detecting system, for measuring a position of a pattern formed on an object to be observed, for use in an exposure apparatus. The method includes providing incoherence-transformed illumination light for illuminating the pattern surface of the object by use of coherent light, and incoherence-transformed reference light, changing the quantity of the reference light in accordance with a reflection factor of the pattern surface, imaging reflection light from the pattern surface and reference light reflected by a conjugate mirror, together, upon a photoelectric converting element, and measuring the position of the pattern on the basis of an interference image signal obtainable by the imaging.