Abstract: No studies have been made regarding what kinds of refrigerants should be used in a refrigeration cycle device for a vehicle. An air conditioner (1) for a vehicle includes a refrigerant circuit (10) and a refrigerant that is sealed in the refrigerant circuit (10). The refrigerant circuit (10) includes a compressor (80), a first heat exchanger (85), which serves as a heat dissipater in a dehumidifying heating mode, an outside-air heat exchanger (82), a cooling control valve (87), and a second heat exchanger (86), which serves as an evaporator in the dehumidifying heating mode. The refrigerant is a refrigerant having a low GWP.

Abstract: An opening and closing device and an electronic apparatus using this device. In an urging section, a movable member including a movable cam on its side is urged by a spring. A slide member includes, at one end, a stationary cam, opposed to the movable cam, for resiliently contacting the movable cam. The movable member is urged in opening and closing directions in open and closed states, respectively, according to which portion of the stationary cam resiliently contacts the movable cam. A reversing section includes a release member and a reversing member. The release member includes a release cam resiliently contacting a support cam at the other end of the slide member, and the reversing member is inserted into the slide member and includes a reversing cam. When the release cam is disconnected from the support cam, the slide member slides axially, whereby the movable cam is disconnected from the stationary cam and resiliently contacts the reversing cam.

Abstract: A switch including an insulative plastic case having a cavity formed therein, a metal cover joined to the case to cover over the cavity, and a switching contact section contained in the cavity. In this switch, a surface of the cover opposed to the case has an insulative film formed on at least a region of the surface facing to the cavity. The switch can prevent externally-originated static electricity from adversely affecting the switching contact section to protect a circuit section of a device connected to the switching contact section.

Abstract: A switch device is configured by engaging a plurality of switches in a cam section of an operating member in a manner such that a detecting section can detect positions of operation of the operating member based on electric ON/OFF states of the switches. With this arrangement, it is possible to detect the positions of operation of the operating member by only detecting the electric ON/OFF states of the switches wherever the position of operation the operating member may be. Consequently, a switch device that is simple in construction and capable of reliably detecting positions of operation of the operating member can be provided.

Abstract: A lever switch includes a common contact and a fixed contact both prepared on at least an inner bottom face, or any one of inner faces of walls surrounding the inner bottom face, and a movable contact which touches or leaves at least one of the common contact or the fixed contact when a lever rotates. Terminal sections of the common contact and the fixed contact extend through walls of the housing. This structure allows the lever switch to fix those terminal sections to a wired board, thereby preventing the lever switch from coming off from the wired board. As a result, the lever switch can work with reliability.

Abstract: Disclosed is a switch, which comprises an insulative plastic case having a cavity formed therein, a metal cover joined to the case to cover over the cavity, and a switching contact section contained in the cavity. In this switch, a surface of the cover opposed to the case has an insulative film formed on at least a region of the surface facing to the cavity. The switch can prevent an externally-originated static elasticity from adversely affecting on the switching contact section to protect a circuit section of a device connected to the switching contact section.

Abstract: A switch device is configured by engaging a plurality of switches in a cam section of an operating member in a manner such that a detecting section can detect positions of operation of the operating member based on electric ON/OFF states of the switches. With this arrangement, it is possible to detect the positions of operation of the operating member by only detecting the electric ON/OFF states of the switches wherever position of operation the operating member may be. Consequently, a switch device that is simple in construction and capable of surely detecting positions of operation of the operating member can be provided.

Abstract: A lever switch includes a common contact and a fixed contact both prepared on at least an inner bottom face, or any one of inner faces of walls surrounding the inner bottom face, and a movable contact which touches or leaves at least one of the common contact or the fixed contact when a lever rotates. Terminal sections of the common contact and the fixed contact extend through walls of the housing. This structure allows the lever switch to fix those terminal sections to a wired board, thereby preventing the lever switch from coming off from the wired board. As a result, the lever switch can work with reliability.

Abstract: An opening and closing device and an electronic apparatus using this device. In an urging section, a movable member including a movable cam on its side is urged by a spring. A slide member includes, at its end, a stationary cam, opposed to the movable cam, for resiliently contacting the movable cam. The movable member is urged in opening and closing directions in open and closed states, respectively according to which portion of the stationary cam resiliently contacts the movable cam. A reversing section includes a release member including a release cam resiliently contacting a support cam at the other end of the slide member, and a reversing member inserted into the slide member and including a reversing cam. When the release cam is disconnected from the support cam, the slide member slides axially, whereby the movable cam is disconnected from the stationary cam and resiliently contacts the reversing cam.

Abstract: A multidirectional switch includes (a) a case having a common contact and plural fixed contacts; (b) a contacting unit whose intermediate section is in contact with the common contact, and a tip of an arm extending from the intermediate section faces one of the fixed contacts at a given interval; (c) a spring placed on the contacting unit, and an end of a movable section at an intermediate section of the spring being in contact with the tip of the arm, and a bowed section extending from the movable section being retained by the case; (d) a cover with a hole for covering the case; and (e) an operating unit having a depressing section, being mounted movably to the case or the cover, and the depressing section extending through the hole of the cover for being brought into contact with the end of the movable section of the spring.

Abstract: A multidirectional switch includes (a) a case having a common contact and plural fixed contacts; (b) a contacting unit whose intermediate section is in contact with the common contact, and a tip of an arm extending from the intermediate section faces one of the fixed contacts at a given interval; (c) a spring placed on the contacting unit, and an end of a movable section at an intermediate section of the spring being in contact with the tip of the arm, and a bowed section extending from the movable section being retained by the case; (d) a cover with a hole for covering the case; and (e) an operating unit having a depressing section, being mounted movably to the case or the cover, and the depressing section extending through the hole of the cover for being brought into contact with the end of the movable section of the spring.

Abstract: Disclosed is a thermopile improved in its measurement sensitivity and manufacturing cost, which comprises a pillar-shaped substrate having a side extending in the parallel direction to an incident light to be measured so as not to be irradiated with the incident light, and first and second thermoelectric material layers arranged alternately on the side of the pillar-shaped substrate along the extending direction of the side of said pillar-shaped substrate.

Abstract: A heating appliance including a heat source for heating air, a convection fan for blowing the heated air into a heating chamber, and an infrared radiator disposed in the path of the heated air.

Abstract: A heating appliance including a microwave heating source for heating an object, and an infrared ray heating source for heating the object in response to the operation of the microwave heating source by receiving energy from the microwave heating source and thus radiating infrared rays. Therefore, infrared ray heating is carried out in addition to the microwave heating.

Abstract: A humidity detecting circuit for detecting the ambient humidity in a cooking chamber, which includes a constant current source, a first temperature-detecting resistor self-heated by the constant current source to detect the ambient humidity and having one terminal connected to an output terminal of the constant current source, and a second temperature-detecting resistor having one terminal connected to the one terminal of the first temperature-detecting resistor to detect the ambient temperature. An operational amplifier having an inverting input terminal, a noninverting input terminal and an output terminal is provided, the inverting input terminal being connected to the other terminal of the second temperature-detecting resistor so that the terminal voltage of the first temperature-detecting resistor may be inputted into the inverting input terminal through the second temperature-detecting resistor.

Abstract: A heating apparatus contains a humidity sensor for detecting vapor amount generating from the heated object and a control unit for controlling the heating time on the basis of the signal output from the humidity sensor. The humidity sensor includes a first heat sensor for detecting the atmospheric temperature and a second heat sensor which is self-heated or heated by a heating source. The control unit includes a comparator for comparing the temperature change of the first heat sensor with that of the second heat sensor which change is caused by vapor generating from the heated object, and a control circuit for controlling the additional heating time on the basis of the time the signal output from the comparator took to reach the value preset for each kind of heated objects, when the preset value is reached.

Abstract: A heating appliance includes a heating circuit for heating an object disposed in a heating chamber, a detection circuit for detecting heat completion of the heated object, and a switch for switching between different power levels of the heating circuit prior to heat completion detecting by the detection circuit, heat completion being detected when the output of a sensor within the detection circuit reaches a predetermined value.

Abstract: A control panel assembly adapted for controlling operation of a cooking utensil comprises a control panel, a printed wiring board forming a back surface of the control panel assembly, and circuit elements including a semiconductor chip device arranged on the printed wiring board. Virtually all the bodies of the circuit elements are mounted on a first surface of the printed wiring board. The first surface is opposite to a heating source for the cooking utensil. Virtually all electric connectors for the circuit elements are supported on a second surface of the printed wiring board, the second surface facing the heating source. With such a construction, the second surface including the electric connectors, namely, the back surface of the control panel assembly is substantially flat and non-rugged.

Abstract: The present invention is directed to a microwave oven which may operate in a temperature control mode, wherein the temperature of a food to be cooked is maintained between two selectable values. The food temperature is sensed by a probe adapted for insertion into food being cooked in the microwave oven. The probe is electrically communicated to a microwave generation control circuit through a plug which is removably engaged in a socket secured by a microwave oven wall. When the plug is engaged by the socket, the microwave oven is automatically placed in the temperature control mode.