Abstract: An object of the present invention is to continuously estimate the position with high accuracy while the moving body is traveling. A position estimation device is installed in a moving body, and includes a position estimation unit configured to estimate a position of a subject moving body being the moving body in which the position estimation device is installed using any of positioning means of satellite positioning using a positioning satellite or radio wave positioning using wireless communication, and a positioning means selection unit configured to switch the positioning means the position estimation unit uses for estimation of the position of the subject moving body based on a traveling environment or a peripheral environment of the subject moving body.

Abstract: A liquid discharge apparatus includes a conveying part configured to convey a medium in a conveying direction. A discharge head is configured to discharge a droplet onto a medium carried by the conveying part. A heating part is arranged at the downstream of the discharge head and configured to heat a medium while contacting with the medium attached with a droplet discharged by the discharge head. The heating part is arranged at a position contacting with at least part of the droplet present on the surface of the medium.

Abstract: A valve device includes a flow path formation member provided with at least one flow path hole through which a fluid passes, and a drive part that outputs a rotational force. The valve device includes a shaft, and a rotor having a sliding surface that slides while facing an opening surface of the flow path formation member where the flow path hole is opened, and the rotor is configured to increase or decrease an opening degree of the flow path hole with rotation of the shaft. The valve device includes an energization member that energizes the rotor toward the flow path formation member. The valve device includes a coupling structure configured to tiltably couple the shaft to the rotor such that a contact state between the sliding surface and the opening surface is held regardless of a posture or a position of the shaft.

Abstract: In an automobile hood, sufficient panel rigidity and dent resistance are secured while achieving weight reduction. Automobile hood 1 has a panel 2, a reinforcing member 3, and a joint 4 that joins the panel 2 and the reinforcing member 3. The reinforcing member 3 includes a structure formed from a plurality of units 7 having a hexagonal annular shape disposed in a close-packed arrangement. Unit 7 has a floor 11, inclined wall 12 and top plate 13. The floor 11 is adjacent to the panel 2. Top plate 13 and panel 2 are separated from each other. The inclined wall 12 is arranged between the floor 11 and the top plate 13. A hexagonal annular first ridge line 31 of the unit 7 is located between the inclined wall 12 and the floor 11. A length L1 of one side of the first ridge line 31 is 40-75 mm.

Abstract: A fluid circulation circuit includes a flow passage switching valve. The flow passage switching valve includes a body and a switcher. The body includes a first inlet, a second inlet, and outlets including a first outlet. The switcher is capable of switching a passage configuration to a state in which a fluid that has flowed in from the first inlet flows out of either one of the outlets and a state in which the fluid that has flowed in from the second inlet flows out of either one of the outlets.

Abstract: A valve device includes: a driving source making rotational motion; a rotated part provided rotatably around a predetermined axis; and a fluid passage portion having a flow hole for passing a fluid. The valve device further includes: a gear mechanism having gears to transmit rotational motion of the driving source to the rotated part by engagement between the gears to rotate the rotated part; and a biasing part biasing the rotated part toward one side in a circumferential direction with the predetermined axis at the center. The rotated part includes a rotor increasing or reducing an opening of the flow hole in conjunction with rotation of the rotated part and is rotated according to rotational motion of the driving source while being biased toward the one side in the circumferential direction by the biasing part.

Abstract: A valve device includes a stationary disk, a shaft and a rotor. The valve device includes: a housing that has a boss portion, through which the shaft is inserted; and a seal member that is shaped in a ring form and is configured to seal a gap between the shaft and the boss portion. The shaft includes a holder that has a contact portion which is in contact with the seal member. The holder is made of a polymer material which includes reinforcing fibers contained in resin. At least the contact portion at the holder extends in an axial direction of the shaft, and a distal end portion of the holder located on one side in the axial direction is coupled to a gear arrangement of a drive device. The distal end portion of the holder has a trace of an injection gate for injecting the polymer material.

Abstract: A valve device may include: a shaft which has a shaft central axis; a stationary disk; a rotor; a housing which has a housing central axis and an opening; a housing cover which closes the opening; and a seal member. The seal member is eccentric with respect to the shaft central axis in conformity with the amount of eccentricity between the shaft central axis and the housing central axis. A valve device may include: a drive device; a shaft which has a shaft central axis; a stationary disk; a rotor; a housing which has a housing central axis and an opening; a drive device case which closes the opening and receives the drive device; and a seal member. The seal member is eccentric with respect to the shaft central axis in conformity with the amount of eccentricity between the shaft central axis and the housing central axis.

Abstract: A valve device includes a housing, a stationary valve and a drive valve. The stationary valve is placed in a fluid passage of the housing. The stationary valve forms a first passage, which conducts fluid, and a penetrating chamber which penetrates through the stationary valve in the axial direction. The drive valve is placed on one axial side of the stationary valve in the fluid passage and forms a second passage which conducts the fluid. The drive valve communicates the second passage to the first passage through rotation of the drive valve. The housing has a bottom portion that covers the penetrating chamber from another axial side. An upstream passage of the fluid passage, which is located on an upstream side of the drive valve and the stationary valve in a flow direction of the fluid, is communicated with the penetrating chamber through a communication passage.

Abstract: A valve device includes a housing, a stationary disk, a drive device, a shaft and a rotor. The stationary disk is fixed at an inside of the housing and has at least one flow passage hole. The shaft is rotated about a central axis by the drive device. The rotor increases or decreases an opening degree of the at least one flow passage hole. The rotor includes: a drive disk that slides relative to the stationary disk; and a lever that is fixed to the drive disk and couples between the drive disk and the shaft. A torsion spring is placed between the shaft and the lever and urges the lever relative to the shaft in a circumferential direction around the central axis of the shaft. The shaft has a plurality of contact portions configured to contact the lever and respectively located at a plurality of locations.

Abstract: A liquid discharge apparatus includes a conveying part configured to convey a medium in a conveying direction. A discharge head is configured to discharge a droplet onto a medium carried by the conveying part. A heating part is arranged at the downstream of the discharge head and configured to heat a medium while contacting with the medium attached with a droplet discharged by the discharge head. The heating part is arranged at a position contacting with at least part of the droplet present on the surface of the medium.

Abstract: A printing apparatus includes a conveyance unit configured to convey a sheet along a conveyance path, a printing unit configured to print an image by discharging ink to the sheet conveyed by the conveyance unit, a heating unit configured to, in a heating section on the conveyance path, heat the sheet on which the image has been printed by the printing unit, and a control unit configured to control the heating unit so that the heating section is changed in accordance with a print condition.

Abstract: A feeding device includes a sheet tray, a transport device, a sheet sensor, and a control device. On the sheet tray, a sheet is placed. The transport device transports the sheet placed on the sheet tray. The sheet sensor is located upstream of the transport device in a sheet transport direction, and outputs curvature information indicating a curvature status of the sheet being transported by the transport device. The control device includes a processor, and acts as a measuring device and a calculation device, when the processor executes a control program. The measuring device measures a curvature amount of the sheet, on a basis of the curvature information. The calculation device calculates rigidity of the sheet, on a basis of the curvature amount.

Abstract: A transmitter transmits ultrasonic wave of a predetermined volume. A reflected ultrasonic wave receiver receives reflected ultrasonic wave, transmitted from the transmitter and reflected by a sheet. A permeated ultrasonic wave receiver receives permeated ultrasonic wave, transmitted by the transmitter and permeated through the sheet. A volume detector detects reflected volume of the reflected ultrasonic wave, and permeated volume of the permeated ultrasonic wave. The decider identifies a thickness of the sheet being transported by a transport device, and decides whether multifeed of the sheets is occurring, on a basis of a comparison result between the detected reflected volume and a reference reflected volume, and a comparison result between the detected permeated volume and a reference permeated volume.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a sheet storage section, an image forming device, a transport route, a transport device, and a switching device. The switching device is turned on or off depending on a pressing force applied by an end portion of a sheet being transported along the transport route, at a position on the transport route upstream of the image forming device in a sheet transport direction. The switching device is turned on or off depending on whether the pressing force is equal to or larger than a predetermined pressing force to be applied by the sheet having predetermined rigidity, or smaller than the predetermined pressing force.

Abstract: A liquid discharge apparatus includes a conveying part configured to convey a medium in a conveying direction. A discharge head is configured to discharge a droplet onto a medium carried by the conveying part. A heating part is arranged at the downstream of the discharge head and configured to heat a medium while contacting with the medium attached with a droplet discharged by the discharge head. The heating part is arranged at a position contacting with at least part of the droplet present on the surface of the medium.

Abstract: A printing apparatus includes a conveyance unit configured to convey a sheet, a printing unit configured to print an image by discharging ink to the sheet conveyed by the conveyance unit, a heating unit configured to heat the sheet conveyed by the conveyance unit and to which the image has been printed by the printing unit, and a control unit configured to, in a case of double-side printing in which after printing an image on a first side of the sheet, an image is printed on a second side of the sheet, based on an amount of ink discharged for the first side and an amount of ink discharged for the second side, control heating by the heating unit with respect to the second side.

Abstract: A printing apparatus includes a conveyance unit, a printing unit, and a heating unit provided on a downstream side with respect to the printing unit in the conveyance direction, and a control unit. The conveyance unit conveys a printing medium along a conveyance direction. The printing unit ejects ink onto the printing medium conveyed by the conveyance unit. The heating unit heats the printing medium on which ink has been ejected by the printing unit while being in contact therewith. The control unit controls the printing apparatus such that a first surface of the printing medium passes through the same heating unit a plurality of times, wherein the first surface includes ink having been ejected by the printing unit onto the first surface.

Abstract: A check valve is made of a resilient body wound in a ring form and is located in an annular flow passage. A displacement limiter includes: a limiter main body that is located on an outer side of the check valve and is configured to limit displacement of the check valve in a diameter increasing direction of the check valve; and a limiter flow passage that communicates between one side and the other side of the limiter main body in an axial direction to enable hydraulic oil to flow between the one side and the other side of the limiter main body through the limiter flow passage.

Abstract: A printing apparatus includes a conveyance unit configured to convey a sheet, a printing unit configured to print an image by discharging ink to the sheet conveyed by the conveyance unit, a heating unit configured to heat the sheet conveyed by the conveyance unit and to which the image has been printed by the printing unit, and a control unit configured to, in a case of double-side printing in which after printing an image on a first side of the sheet, an image is printed on a second side of the sheet, based on an amount of ink discharged for the first side and an amount of ink discharged for the second side, control heating by the heating unit with respect to the second side.