Abstract: An ultrasonic motor, usable in a drive control system and the like, includes an annular vibrator and an annular moving member arranged so as to be brought into pressure-contact with the vibrator. The vibrator includes an annular vibrating plate and an annular piezoelectric element. The piezoelectric element includes an annular piezoelectric ceramic piece, a common electrode arranged on one surface of the piezoelectric ceramic piece, and a plurality of electrodes arranged on the other surface of the piezoelectric ceramic piece. The piezoelectric ceramic piece contains lead in a content of less than 1,000 ppm. The plurality of electrodes include two drive phase electrodes, one or more non-drive phase electrodes, and one or more detection phase electrodes.

Abstract: A vibration wave motor includes an annular oscillator, and an annular moving member provided so as to be in press contact with the oscillator. The oscillator includes an annular vibrating plate, and an annular piezoelectric element provided on a first surface of the vibrating plate. The vibrating plate is in contact with the moving member via a second surface of the vibrating plate, which is opposite of the first surface. The piezoelectric element has a plurality of drive phase electrodes. When a driving region represents a region of the oscillator in which each drive phase electrode is provided, and a non-driving region represents a remaining region of the oscillator, a contact area ratio S1 between the vibrating plate and the moving member in the non-driving region is less than a contact area ratio S2 between the vibrating plate and the moving member in the driving region.

Abstract: Provided is a piezoelectric ceramics including crystal grains each including: a first region that is formed of a perovskite-type metal oxide having a crystal structure in which a central element of a unit cell is located at an asymmetrical position; and a second region that is formed of a perovskite-type metal oxide having a crystal structure in which a central element of a unit cell is located at a symmetrical position, and that is present inside the first region, wherein a ratio of a cross-sectional area of the second region to a cross-sectional area of the piezoelectric ceramics is 0.1% or less.

Abstract: An indoor unit includes a main unit including an air inlet through which air enters from a room and an air outlet through which air blows into the room, an electrical component box mounted on an outer surface of the main unit and accommodating an electrical device, a refrigerant pipe connection portion to which a refrigerant pipe through which refrigerant passes is connected, a drain pipe connection portion to which a drain pipe through which drain water discharged from the main unit passes is connected, and an installation bolt attachment bracket mounted on the outer surface of the main unit and fixing the main unit to an installation bolt suspended from above a ceiling. The indoor unit has the refrigerant pipe connection portion, the drain pipe connection portion, and the electrical component box on the same mounting surface.

Abstract: Provided is a printing apparatus configured to execute printing by a print head including an overlapping portion where a formation range of a first nozzle group and a formation range of a second nozzle group configured to eject ink of a same color as the first nozzle group at least partially overlap, wherein the printing apparatus includes an HT processing unit configured to generate HT data specifying a presence or absence of dots for each pixel based on image data, and a distribution processing unit configured to distribute the HT data into first HT data for driving the first nozzle group, and second HT data for driving the second nozzle group.

Abstract: The present invention provides a vibrator made of a non-lead-based piezoelectric material and capable of being driven at a sufficient speed with low power consumption, and provides a vibration wave drive device and an electronical device each using the vibrator. To that end, the vibrator according to the present invention includes a piezoelectric element including a piezoelectric material and electrodes, and an elastic body, wherein a Pb component contained in the piezoelectric material is less than 1000 ppm, and a resonance frequency fA in a vibration mode A and a resonance frequency fB in a vibration mode B satisfy a relation of an absolute value of (fB?fA)>2 (kHz), the vibration mode A and the vibration mode B generating vibration waves in the elastic body with wave fronts of the vibration waves intersecting each other.

Abstract: A vibrator and an ultrasonic motor can exhibit a sufficient drive speed even when using lead-free piezoelectric ceramics. The ultrasonic motor includes an annular vibrator and an annular moving member arranged so as to be brought into pressure-contact with the vibrator. The vibrator includes an annular vibrating plate and an annular piezoelectric element. The piezoelectric element includes an annular piezoelectric ceramic piece, a common electrode arranged on one surface of the piezoelectric ceramic piece, and a plurality of electrodes arranged on the other surface of the piezoelectric ceramic piece. The piezoelectric ceramic piece contains lead in a content of less than 1,000 ppm. The plurality of electrodes include two drive phase electrodes, at least one non-drive phase electrode, and at least one detection phase electrode.

Abstract: A lead-free piezoelectric element that stably operates in a wide operating temperature range contains a lead-free piezoelectric material. The piezoelectric element includes a first electrode, a second electrode, and a piezoelectric material that includes a perovskite-type metal oxide represented by (Ba1-xCax)a(Ti1-yZry)O3 (1.00?a?1.01, 0.02?x?0.30, 0.020?y?0.095, and y?x) as a main component and manganese incorporated in the perovskite-type metal oxide. The manganese content relative to 100 parts by weight of the perovskite-type metal oxide is 0.02 parts by weight or more and 0.40 parts by weight or less on a metal basis.

Abstract: Provided is a piezoelectric ceramics having a gradual change in piezoelectric constant depending on an ambient temperature. Specifically, provided is a single-piece piezoelectric ceramics including as a main component a perovskite-type metal oxide represented by a compositional formula of ABO3, wherein an A site element in the compositional formula contains Ba and M1, the M1 being formed of at least one kind selected from the group consisting of Ca and Bi, wherein a B site element in the compositional formula contains Ti and M2, the M2 being formed of at least one kind selected from the group consisting of Zr, Sn, and Hf, wherein concentrations of the M1 and the M2 change in at least one direction of the piezoelectric ceramics, and wherein increase and decrease directions of concentration changes of the M1 and the M2 are directions opposite to each other.

Abstract: A mount unit for mounting a decorative panel on an underside of an air-conditioning apparatus main body includes a decorative panel mount fitting having a screw engagement hole that communicates with the screw insertion hole of the decorative panel and a claw that is fitted into the claw engagement hole formed on each side of the screw insertion hole of the decorative panel and a decorative panel mount screw, and is configured to be held by the decorative panel without being dropped off when the claw is fitted into the claw engagement hole and the decorative panel mount screw is engaged with the screw engagement hole with a head being oriented downward, and the decorative panel is mounted on the air-conditioning apparatus main body when the decorative panel mount screw held on the decorative panel is screwed into the screw fastening hole of the air-conditioning apparatus main body via the screw insertion hole.

Abstract: Provided is a recording device that performs recording on a recording medium by repeating a pass operation of discharging ink from a recording head onto the recording medium during a main scanning operation of moving the recording head in a main scanning direction, and a sub-scanning operation of moving the recording medium relative to the recording head in a sub-scanning direction intersecting with the main scanning direction. An electronic controller stops the main scanning unit for a predetermined stop time determined based on a gap that is a distance between a head surface of the recording head and a recording surface of the recording medium supported by a support unit, prior to the pass operation.

Abstract: An indoor unit includes: a casing including a top plate and lateral plates; a motor mounted to a central part on an inner surface side of the top plate; a turbofan fixed to a rotary shaft of the motor and configured to rotate through drive of the motor; a drain pan received in the casing and mounted to the lateral plates of the casing; and a bellmouth mounted to the drain pan and configured to rectify a fluid flowing into the casing. The drain pan includes a positioning fitting having: a casing-fixing threaded hole for allowing the drain pan to be fixed to the casing with a screw; and a bellmouth-fixing threaded hole for allowing the bellmouth to be fixed to the drain pan with a screw.

Abstract: A vibration wave motor includes a driven body, a vibrator including an annular vibration plate and an annular piezoelectric element, and a vibration damping member, which are arranged in sequence, wherein the vibration plate has, on a side facing the driven body, radially extending groove portions at X places, and, when center depths of the groove portions at X places are sequentially denoted by D1 to DX in a circumferential direction, D1 to DX vary along a curve obtained by superposing one or more sine waves, and wherein the vibration plate is locally supported by the vibration damping member in some or all antinode portions of a standing wave occurring when the vibration wave motor is driven.

Abstract: A barium titanate piezoelectric ceramic having good piezoelectric properties and mechanical strength and a piezoelectric element that includes the ceramic are provided. A method for making a piezoelectric ceramic includes forming a compact composed of an oxide powder containing barium titanate particles, sintering the compact, and decreasing the temperature of the compact after the sintering. The sintering includes (A) increasing the temperature of the compact to a first temperature within a temperature range of a shrinking process of the compact; (B) increasing the temperature of the compact to a second temperature within a temperature range of a liquid phase sintering process of the compact after (A); (C) decreasing the temperature of the compact to a third temperature within the temperature range of the shrinking process of the compact after (B); and (D) retaining the third temperature after (C).

Abstract: Provided is a printing apparatus configured to execute printing by a print head including an overlapping portion where a formation range of a first nozzle group and a formation range of a second nozzle group configured to eject ink of a same color as the first nozzle group at least partially overlap, wherein the printing apparatus includes an HT processing unit configured to generate HT data specifying a presence or absence of dots for each pixel based on image data, and a distribution processing unit configured to distribute the HT data into first HT data for driving the first nozzle group, and second HT data for driving the second nozzle group.

Abstract: After dot image data is created via a halftone process, dot size determination is performed in step S110, it is determined there is a smaller dot in front motion in step S112, and, when the smaller dot is to be allocated to a front nozzle line, a moving process is performed thereon in step S116. Once moved by one dot, the dot position of a smaller dot is allocated to a rear nozzle line and thus discharged from the rear nozzle line that is less affected by an air flow.

Abstract: Provided is a method of manufacturing an oscillator, including: arranging an electrode on a piezoelectric ceramics free from being subjected to polarization treatment, to thereby provide a piezoelectric element; bonding the piezoelectric element and a diaphragm to each other at a temperature T1; bonding the piezoelectric element and a power supply member to each other at a temperature T2; and subjecting the piezoelectric ceramics to polarization treatment at a temperature T3, in which the temperature T1, the temperature T2, and the temperature T3 satisfy a relationship T1>T3 and a relationship T2>T3.

Abstract: An indoor unit for an air-conditioning apparatus and an air-conditioning apparatus that include levers of a decorative panel operated through insertion hole portions, and then move vertically in the insertion hole portions by the gravity, to thereby be temporarily hung on the hooks. The levers are kept holed on hooks. The indoor unit for an air-conditioning apparatus includes a casing, a decorative panel mounted on a lower surface side of the casing and having an air inlet formed therein, the levers mounted so as to be opposed to each other on opposed two sides among four sides forming edges of the air inlet of the decorative panel, and the hooks mounted at an opening portion of the casing, to allow the levers to be hooked thereon, respectively.

Abstract: A piezoelectric material which is low in load on the environment, and also satisfies both the requirements of a high piezoelectric constant and a high mechanical quality factor. The piezoelectric material comprises a plurality of crystal grains containing Ba, Ca, Ti, Zr, Mn, and O. An average equivalent circle diameter of the crystal grains is not smaller than 1.0 ?m and not larger than 10 ?m. The crystal grains include crystal grains A each having a first domain with a width of not smaller than 300 nm and not larger than 800 nm, and crystal grains B each having a second domain with a width of not smaller than 20 nm and not larger than 50 nm.

Abstract: An indoor unit includes a main body unit including a housing having an opening hole for pipe formed on a part of a side surface of the main body unit, a refrigerant pipe connection part projecting from inside to outside of the housing through the opening hole for pipe, and an attachment plate holding and fixing the refrigerant pipe connection part together with the housing to close the opening hole for pipe. The opening hole for pipe is formed over a first side surface on a side of the housing from which the refrigerant pipe connection part projects and a second side surface adjacent to the first side surface, and the attachment plate has an L shape including planes corresponding to the opening hole for pipe over the first side surface and the second side surface.