Abstract: A liquid ejection apparatus includes a nozzle, a pressure chamber, a piezoelectric element, a count processing portion, and a detection processing portion. The nozzle ejects a liquid. The pressure chamber communicates with the nozzle and contains the liquid. The piezoelectric element changes a pressure in the pressure chamber in response to an input of a drive signal. The count processing portion counts a number of times that an electric signal output from the piezoelectric element and corresponding to vibration generated in the pressure chamber in response to the input of the drive signal to the piezoelectric element exceeds a predetermined threshold value. The detection processing portion detects a viscosity of the liquid contained in the pressure chamber, based on a count result of the count processing portion.

Abstract: A liquid ejection apparatus includes a nozzle, a pressure chamber, a piezoelectric element, an acquisition processing portion, and a restriction processing portion. The nozzle ejects a liquid. The pressure chamber communicates with the nozzle and contains the liquid. The piezoelectric element changes a pressure in the pressure chamber in response to an input of a drive signal. When image formation processing for ejecting the liquid from the nozzle is executed based on image data, the acquisition processing portion acquires a length of a non-ejection period in which the liquid is not ejected from the nozzle, the non-ejection period being included in an execution period of the image formation processing. When the length of the non-ejection period acquired by the acquisition processing portion is less than a predetermined first threshold value, the restriction processing portion restricts abnormality detection processing for detecting an abnormality of the nozzle using the piezoelectric element.

Abstract: A liquid ejection apparatus includes a nozzle, a pressure chamber, a piezoelectric element, an output processing portion, and a determination processing portion. The nozzle ejects a liquid. The pressure chamber communicates with the nozzle and contains the liquid. The piezoelectric element changes a pressure in the pressure chamber in response to an input of a drive signal. The output processing portion causes the piezoelectric element to output a first electric signal corresponding to vibration generated in the pressure chamber in response to the input of the drive signal to the piezoelectric element. The determination processing portion determines whether or not the pressure chamber is in a filled state in which the pressure chamber is filled with the liquid, based on a frequency of the first electric signal output by the output processing portion.

Abstract: A signal generation device includes a first signal generation portion and a second signal generation portion. The first signal generation portion, based on a reference signal that includes a plurality of rectangular single-wave signals, generates an original common signal in which the rise times of the two or more of the single-wave signals are extended so that they are different from each other, and the fall timing of one or more of the single-wave signals is shifted. The second signal generating portion generates a drive signal to be input to a piezoelectric element by extracting a rising edge of any one of the single-wave signals, the rise time of which is extended, from the original common signal amplified by the amplifying portion, maintaining a signal level changed by extracting the rising edge of the single-wave signal, and extracting a falling edge of a single-wave signal after the single-wave signal.

Abstract: The spark plug is provided with: an insulator; a main metal fitting in which a shelf portion for locking the insulator is provided; and a cap joined to the main metal fitting by way of a melted portion. The cap forms an auxiliary chamber, and includes an injection port penetrating from an inner surface to an outer surface. There is a gap extending from the auxiliary chamber to the melted portion, between a first surface connecting an inner peripheral surface of the main metal fitting and an outer peripheral surface of the main metal fitting on a tip end side of the shelf portion, and a second surface of the cap, connecting an inner surface and an outer surface thereof, and the gap includes an opening portion which opens into the auxiliary chamber in a radial direction.

Abstract: In a passage assistance apparatus (1) according to the present invention, a storage unit (10) stores passage assistance information regarding passage through an automatic door, a passage condition regarding passage through the automatic door and information regarding an attribute of an image of the surrounding region of the automatic door are associated with each other in the passage assistance information. The passage condition is at least one of the automatic door opening/closing condition and a passage guide condition for the automatic door user, an image acquisition unit (11) acquires a real time image of the surrounding region of the automatic door, an identification unit (12) identifies attribute information, with respect to the real time image, a passage condition selection unit (13) selects a passage condition associated with attribute information in the storage unit (10) that has matched the identified attribute information, and an output unit (14) outputs the selected passage condition.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a developing roller, a voltage applying part, a direct current correcting part and a correction switching part. The developing roller supplies a toner to an image carrier. The voltage applying part applies a superimposed voltage of an alternating current voltage and a direct current voltage to the developing roller. The direct current correcting part corrects the direct current voltage on the basis of variation of an alternating current flowing between the voltage applying part and the developing roller. The correction switching part switches the direct current voltage correcting part between an operating state and a non-operating state.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a developing roller, a voltage applying part, a direct current correcting part and a correction switching part. The developing roller supplies a toner to an image carrier. The voltage applying part applies a superimposed voltage of an alternating current voltage and a direct current voltage to the developing roller. The direct current correcting part corrects the direct current voltage on the basis of variation of an alternating current flowing between the voltage applying part and the developing roller. The correction switching part switches the direct current voltage correcting part between an operating state and a non-operating state.

Abstract: Provided is a power supply unit that quickly stabilizes a voltage to be applied to a developer carrier. The power supply unit, which applies a voltage to a developer carrier, includes a DC power supply portion, an AC power supply portion, a current detecting portion for detecting current input to the developer carrier, a voltage correcting portion for decreasing at least one of voltage levels of the DC voltage and the AC voltage more as the current detected by the current detecting portion becomes larger, and a development control portion for starting application of one of the DC voltage and the AC voltage as a first voltage at a first time point, and starting application of the other of the DC voltage and the AC voltage as a second voltage at a second time point that is a predetermined time after the first time point.

Abstract: An improved structure for sealing a through-hole formed in a plastic hollow product when mounting a component such as a sensor on the product is provided. A cylindrical section is provided in a peripheral wall of the plastic hollow product as projecting radially outwardly from the peripheral wall and an inner circumferential surface of the cylindrical section defines the through-hole for communication between the interior and the exterior of the product. A sensor component is mounted with its sensor portion extending through the through-hole and an O-ring is disposed between the sensor portion and the inner circumferential surface of the cylindrical section which is backed by a component mounting member.

Abstract: Provided is a power supply unit that quickly stabilizes a voltage to be applied to a developer carrier. The power supply unit, which applies a voltage to a developer carrier, includes a DC power supply portion, an AC power supply portion, a current detecting portion for detecting current input to the developer carrier, a voltage correcting portion for decreasing at least one of voltage levels of the DC voltage and the AC voltage more as the current detected by the current detecting portion becomes larger, and a development control portion for starting application of one of the DC voltage and the AC voltage as a first voltage at a first time point, and starting application of the other of the DC voltage and the AC voltage as a second voltage at a second time point that is a predetermined time after the first time point.

Abstract: In the image forming apparatus, the space detecting unit detects the space between the image carrying surface and the developer carrying surface. The correcting unit corrects the intensity of the development field for developing the electrostatic latent image on the image carrying surface based on the acquired correspondence relation and the space detected by the space detecting unit, for example. In this case, the correspondence relation is a relation between the image density of the visible image transferred from the image carrying surface to the transferred medium and the development filed for suppressing the density unevenness of the visible image.

Abstract: In the image forming apparatus, the space detecting unit detects the space between the image carrying surface and the developer carrying surface. The correcting unit corrects the intensity of the development field for developing the electrostatic latent image on the image carrying surface based on the acquired correspondence relation and the space detected by the space detecting unit, for example. In this case, the correspondence relation is a relation between the image density of the visible image transferred from the image carrying surface to the transferred medium and the development filed for suppressing the density unevenness of the visible image.

Abstract: A developing device includes a developing roller, a magnetic roller, a capacitor, a transformer, and a switching portion. The magnetic roller supplies toner to the developing roller or takes off the toner from the same. The capacitor is connected to a primary of the transformer, and the developing roller is connected to a secondary of the same. During a period while the voltage between electrodes of the capacitor is changing, the switching portion changes the duty ratio in a predetermined second time slot in which current flowing in the switching portion is smaller than that flowing in a first time slot.

Abstract: A developing device includes a developing roller, a magnetic roller, a capacitor, a transformer, a switching section, a control section, a temperature detecting section, and a storage section. When changing the duty ratio of a control signal in multiple sequential steps, the control section determines the resonance period based on the temperature and temperature characteristic data and changes the duty ratio of the control signal to the next step during a changing time slot which is one of the first and second halves of a period of voltage fluctuation of the capacitor based on the determined resonance period, the one half in which the current flowing through the switching section is smaller than in the other half of the period.

Abstract: According to an embodiment, a communication control device includes a first connecting unit, a connection maintaining unit, and a disconnection detector. The first connecting unit is configured to connect to a server via a network and establish connection with the server. The connection maintaining unit is configured to transmit a packet for maintaining the connection to the server when a non-communication state of the connection continues for a predetermine time. The disconnection detector is configured to detect a packet stoppage state. When the disconnection detector has detected the packet stoppage state, the connection maintaining unit shortens the predetermined time.

Abstract: A network system includes a device adapter including a first virtual communication port, and a network connection device including a virtual device adapter protocol hierarchy which includes a second virtual communication port communicable with the first virtual communication port, a TCP/IP layer, a device controlling protocol layer in an application layer and a device object.

Abstract: A developing device includes a developing roller, a magnetic roller, a capacitor, a transformer, a switching section, a control section, a temperature detecting section, and a storage section. When changing the duty ratio of a control signal in multiple sequential steps, the control section determines the resonance period based on the temperature and temperature characteristic data and changes the duty ratio of the control signal to the next step during a changing time slot which is one of the first and second halves of a period of voltage fluctuation of the capacitor based on the determined resonance period, the one half in which the current flowing through the switching section is smaller than in the other half of the period.

Abstract: A communication terminal receives a request packet of a composite telegraphic message form from a request terminal and transmits a response packet. The communication terminal includes a reception unit, a request processing unit, and a transmission unit. The reception unit is configured to receive a request packet including a packet identifier for identifying a packet, a service type, and a plurality of property information pieces regarding requests. The request processing unit is configured to generate a response packet including only property information of a response corresponding to a request processed according to the service type among the plurality of property information pieces regarding the requests, and the packet identifier. The transmission unit is configured to transmit the response packet to the request terminal.

Abstract: An information processing apparatus includes an generating section that generates authentication operation data from an input type associated with the type of the appliance in appliance data and stores the authentication operation data in a storage device, an transmitting section that transmits the authentication operation data to a gateway apparatus, an acquiring section that receives, from the gateway apparatus, input operation data input from an input device of an appliance and stores the input operation data in the storage device, and an collating section that compares the authentication operation data and the input operation data, determines whether the authentication operation data and the input operation data coincide with each other, and outputs collation result data. If the coincidence is determined, the information processing apparatus causes the gateway apparatus to authenticate communication for controlling the appliance between the appliance and the gateway apparatus.