Abstract: In an electric power steering system, there is provided a ball screw deflector configured to make it possible to easily measure the whole length of each of deflector pieces. A mating face of each of the deflector pieces and end faces of the deflector pieces are parallel to each other, and have an angle corresponding to a lead angle of a ball screw portion. Thus, it is possible to reduce the amount of material required to form each of the deflector piece pieces. In addition, it is possible to easily measure the overall length of each of the deflector pieces with the use of measuring equipment such as a vernier caliper.

Abstract: An ignition timing setting apparatus includes a pulse generator for generating crank pulses corresponding to crank angles, a crank angular speed variation calculating section for calculating a crank angular speed variation based on an interval of the crank pulses, an engine load estimating section for estimating an indicated mean effective pressure from the crank angular speed variation, and an ignition timing determining section having an ignition timing control map for determining an ignition timing advance quantity in accordance with the estimated indicated mean effective pressure and an engine temperature or an engine speed. Such ignition timing setting apparatus sets appropriate ignition timings for avoiding a knocking occurrence load range based on an accurate estimated engine load.

Abstract: Assist force that assists an operation of a steering system of a vehicle is applied to a rack shaft by transmitting driving force of a motor to the rack shaft via a motor shaft and a ball screw nut. A step is formed on the outer periphery of the ball screw nut. An end portion of a third housing is arranged to face a bearing such that the distance that the ball screw nut is able to move relative to the motor shaft in axial direction and the relative movable length is longer than a predetermined length.

Abstract: Assist force that assists an operation of a steering system of a vehicle is applied to a rack shaft by transmitting driving force of a motor to the rack shaft via a motor shaft and a ball screw nut. A step is formed on the outer periphery of the ball screw nut. An end portion of a third housing is arranged to face a bearing such that the distance that the ball screw nut is able to move relative to the motor shaft in axial direction and the relative movable length is longer than a predetermined length.

Abstract: An electric power steering apparatus transmits rotational force of a motor to a rack shaft via a driver pulley, a belt, a driven pulley, and a ball nut. A ball bearing and the driven pulley are fitted to the outer circumferential surface of the ball nut. Also, the ball nut is rotationally supported to the inner circumferential surface of a housing via the ball bearing. A female thread portion is formed on the inner circumferential surface of the driven pulley. The ball nut has a male thread portion formed in a first end and a flange formed in a second end. By fastening the male thread portion and the female thread portion to each other, the ball bearing is clamped between the flange and the driven pulley, while the ball nut and the driven pulley are fastened to each other.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an apparatus body, a recording head, a cap member, and release valves. The head has a nozzle face with nozzles to eject liquid droplets. The head is placed in the apparatus body so as to eject the droplets obliquely downward in any of the vertical or horizontal arrangement of the apparatus body. The cap member caps the nozzle face and has openings at opposed ends in a longitudinal direction of the cap member to communicate an inside of the cap member with an outside of the cap member. The valves open and close the openings relative to an atmosphere. One of the valves placed higher than another one of the valves in accordance with the vertical or horizontal arrangement is configured to open the inside of the cap member to the atmosphere through one of the openings placed higher than another one of the openings.

Abstract: An object of the present invention is to provide a method for manufacturing a copper foil for a negative electrode current collector (specifically, copper foil for a negative electrode current collector of a lithium ion secondary battery) more excellent in discoloration resistance to improve charge/discharge cycle life of a secondary battery. To achieve the object, a method for manufacturing a copper foil for a negative electrode current collector of a secondary battery subjecting the copper foil to rust-proofing treatment, the method characterized in that the copper foil is rust-proofing treated with a chromate-treatment solution having pH in the range from 3.5 to 7.0 to form a chromate film on the surface of the copper foil is employed.

Abstract: The ball screw apparatus includes a returning way L2 by mounting a circulating member 15 in mounted holes 16, 17 formed in the ball screw nut 13. The ball screw nut 13 includes a base portion 51 and an expanding portion 52. In the base portion 50 a distance from an axis center O1 of the rack shaft 3 to a bottom portion 14a of the nut side screw groove 14 is constant, and in the expanding portion 52 the distance is larger than that of the base portion 51. The expanding portion 52 includes a connecting area 34.

Abstract: An air-fuel ratio estimating device can include an amount of fuel injected calculating unit which can estimate the amount of fuel injected GF for each cycle on the basis of a driving time Tout of a fuel injection valve. A proportional constant calculating section determines a proportional constant K, using the estimated charging efficiency CE and the amount of fuel injected Gf, when the output value of a sensor is in a transition region R. When the sensor output value is not in the transition region R, an air-fuel ratio A/F is estimated from the determined proportional constant K, a charging efficiency CE calculated by a calculating section, and the amount of fuel injected Gf.

Abstract: An ignition timing setting apparatus includes a pulse generator for generating crank pulses corresponding to crank angles, a crank angular speed variation calculating section for calculating a crank angular speed variation based on an interval of the crank pulses, an engine load estimating section for estimating an indicated mean effective pressure from the crank angular speed variation, and an ignition timing determining section having an ignition timing control map for determining an ignition timing advance quantity in accordance with the estimated indicated mean effective pressure and an engine temperature or an engine speed. Such ignition timing setting apparatus sets appropriate ignition timings for avoiding a knocking occurrence load range based on an accurate estimated engine load.

Abstract: An air-fuel ratio estimating device can include an amount of fuel injected calculating unit which can estimate the amount of fuel injected GF for each cycle on the basis of a driving time Tout of a fuel injection valve. A proportional constant calculating section determines a proportional constant K, using the estimated charging efficiency CE and the amount of fuel injected Gf, when the output value of a sensor is in a transition region R. When the sensor output value is not in the transition region R, an air-fuel ratio A/F is estimated from the determined proportional constant K, a charging efficiency CE calculated by a calculating section, and the amount of fuel injected Gf.

Abstract: Provided is a read circuit for a semiconductor memory device which may have a reduced circuit scale, and a semiconductor memory device. In a plurality of sense amplifiers of the read circuit of the semiconductor memory device, for serially reading data from a serial output terminal, if a number of byte selectors which may be selected to determine an address at a predetermined time before determination of the address is four, only four sense amplifiers are required in total, and hence the read circuit and the semiconductor memory device are reduced in circuit scale.

Abstract: To prevent a reduction in engine load detection accuracy due to variations in reluctor size within mass production tolerances, an engine control unit includes a pulse generator PC that detects a reluctor to output crank pulses. An angular velocity calculating unit calculates a first crank angular velocity on the basis of an interval between two crank pulses output in a predetermined section near compression top dead center TDC, and detects near overlap top dead center OLP the same reluctor used for calculating the first crank angular velocity to calculate a second crank angular velocity on the basis of an interval between generated two crank pulses. An engine load estimating unit calculates, as an engine load, a difference between the first crank angular velocity and the second crank angular velocity. The engine load is indicated mean effective pressure over a whole cycle including negative work done by the engine.

Abstract: The ball screw apparatus includes a returning way L2 by mounting a circulating member 15 in mounted holes 16, 17 formed in the ball screw nut 13. The ball screw nut 13 includes a base portion 51 and an expanding portion 52. In the base portion 50 a distance from an axis center O1 of the rack shaft 3 to a bottom portion 14a of the nut side screw groove 14 is constant, and in the expanding portion 52 the distance is larger than that of the base portion 51. The expanding portion 52 includes a connecting area 34.

Abstract: In an alcohol concentration estimation apparatus for an engine, a first crank angular speed (?1) within a first predetermined interval overlapping with the compression top dead center is calculated, and a first variation amount (??1) is calculated by subtracting ?1 from an average engine speed. A second crank angular speed (?2) within a second predetermined interval overlapping with the combustion bottom dead center is calculated, and a second variation amount (??2) is calculated by subtracting ?1 from ?2. In a relationship between air fuel ratio A/F and an indicated mean effective pressure (IMEP)/charging efficiency (?c) of the engine when the engine is operated with a predetermined fuel injection map indicating a relationship between A/F and IMEP/?c for each desired alcohol concentration, IMEP/?c is substituted by ??2/??1 ratio to estimate an alcohol concentration in fuel. The alcohol concentration estimation apparatus eliminates requirement of sensors for detecting an intake air mass.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a recording head, a main tank, a sub tank, a negative pressure state indicator, a position detector, and a sub tank position indicator. The recording head discharges recording liquid. The main tank supplies the recording liquid. The sub tank is supplied with the recording liquid from the main tank and supplies the recording liquid to the recording head. The negative pressure state indicator is displaced according to a negative pressure state of the sub tank to indicate the negative pressure state of the sub tank. The position detector detects the displacement of the negative pressure state indicator as position information. The sub tank position indicator is detected by the position detector and indicates a position of the sub tank without being displaced according to the negative pressure state of the sub tank.

Abstract: Provided is a read circuit for a semiconductor memory device which may have a reduced circuit scale, and a semiconductor memory device. In a plurality of sense amplifiers of the read circuit of the semiconductor memory device, for serially reading data from a serial output terminal, if a number of byte selectors which may be selected to determine an address at a predetermined time before determination of the address is four, only four sense amplifiers are required in total, and hence the read circuit and the semiconductor memory device are reduced in circuit scale.

Abstract: A method and an apparatus for manufacturing an image displaying apparatus having a display panel. A first substrate of the display panel on which a phosphor exciter is disposed and a second substrate of the display panel on which phosphors emitting light by the phosphor exciter is provided, are prepared under a vacuum atmosphere. Then, the first and the second substrates are carried in a getter processing chamber or bake processing chamber, and getter processing or bake processing is applied thereto under the vacuum atmosphere. After the processing, the first and the second substrates are carried in a seal processing chamber, where the substrates are heat sealed under the vacuum atmosphere. Thus, reduction of vacuum exhaust time and a high vacuum degree in manufacturing an image displaying apparatus is attained and efficiency of manufacturing is improved.

Abstract: An image-forming device includes, in an envelope, an electron-emitting element for emitting an electron by applying a voltage between electrodes, an image-forming member for forming an image by irradiation with an electron beam emitted from the electron-emitting element, and a supporting member for supporting the envelope. The supporting member has an electroconductive film at an end portion and a side portion thereof, and is electrically connected through the electroconductive film to the electrode.