Abstract: A battery cell voltages are read in parallel to a capacitor for each battery block of a battery pack by the use of analog switches. The stored voltages of the capacitors are A/D-converted sequentially through the analog switches. Thereby, each cell voltage is measured with suppression of measurement error by the use of the simple flying capacitor type circuit structure, while the circuit safety is secured by providing the current limitation resistor having a large resistance value between each cell and the analog switch. A noise reduction circuit having a pair of capacitors is provided.

Abstract: A drive control circuit supplies a gate voltage so that display quality is not degraded even in a case where a vertical scanning frequency or a horizontal scanning frequency is changed. The circuit includes a timing controller for detecting a change of a horizontal scanning frequency, a gate voltage generating circuit for generating two kinds of gate-on voltages Va and Vb (Va<Vb), and a switch for outputting one of the gate-on voltages Va and Vb from the gate voltage generating circuit in accordance with an output of the timing controller. The timing controller includes a counter for counting the number of clocks for one horizontal period, and a comparator for comparing a count result with a threshold value. When the horizontal scanning frequency is in a normal state, the low gate-on voltage Va is outputted, and when the horizontal scanning frequency exceeds a predetermined threshold value, that is, the count value falls below a threshold value, the high gate-on voltage Vb is outputted.

Abstract: A lighting unit and a liquid crystal display device which can improve the efficiency of usable light. The lighting unit includes a light source, a light guide plate, and a truncated pyramid located between the light guide plate and the light source. The truncated pyramid has a base, a top smaller than the base, and a slope linking the base and the top. The light source is placed in close contact with the top of the truncated pyramid, and the light guide plate is placed in close contact with the base of the truncated pyramid. Light is propagated from a light emitting part of the light source to the light guide plate without passing through any air layer. Also, an unnecessary light removing structure is provided in the light guide plate near the incidence surface thereof.

Abstract: In the developing apparatus, the developer regulating member includes a developer carrying member which carries a developer and has elasticity, and a developer regulating member which regulates an amount of the developer carried on the developer carrying member, the developer regulating member having a supported part supported by a support member and a contact part which is in contact with the developer carrying member, in which the contact part has a ten point average surface roughness of larger than 2.0 &mgr;m and a maximum height surface roughness of smaller than an average particle diameter of the developer. Therefore, an amount of the developer carried on the developer carrying member can be regulated to be uniform.

Abstract: The invention relates to a backlight unit for liquid crystal displays, etc.; and its object is to provide a backlight unit not involving the problem that the emitted light leaks out of the optical waveguide, even when the space around the cold-cathode tubes in the light source unit for it is filled with a liquid of which the refractive index is nearly the same as that of the glass material that forms the outer wall of the cold-cathode tubes. The backlight unit comprises a housing 6 which houses cold-cathode tubes 2, 4 therein and of which the inner surface is coated with a light reflector 10; a transparent liquid filled in the housing 6; and an optical waveguide 1 made of a transparent substance and having a light-emitting surface S.

Abstract: An image-forming apparatus includes an image-bearing member for holding thereon an electrostatic latent image; a charging device for electrostatically charging a surface of the image-bearing member; an exposure unit for forming the electrostatic latent image on the image-bearing member by exposing to light the image-bearing member having been charged by the charging device; and a developing unit which has at least a toner-carrying member for carrying and transporting a negatively-chargeable toner thereon and developing the electrostatic latent image by a contact developing system to form a toner image. In the triboelectric series relationship between the toner and a surface layer of the image-bearing member, the surface layer of the image-bearing member has a charge polarity which is a different polarity with respect to the charge polarity of the toner in the developing unit.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image bearing member and a developer carrying member, which carries a developer to develop an electrostatic image formed on the image bearing member with the developer. In a non-developmental time period, a peripheral velocity of the developer carrying member is slower than the peripheral velocity of the developer carrying member during a developmental time period. In addition, a peripheral velocity of the image bearing member during the non-developmental time period is slower than the peripheral velocity of the image bearing member during the development time period.

Abstract: A door assembly of the type having a frame mounted to a wall. The frame comprises a head portion, opposed vertical jamb portions and a sill portion. Doors are provided in the frame. A door in the frame is displaceable between an open position and a closed position. The doors comprise a sash portion supporting a see-through panel. Each of the head portion, the jamb portion, the sill portion, and the sash portion of the door has one external cladding and one internal cladding. The external cladding and the internal cladding are detachably connected to one another, such that only the external cladding is exposed to an exterior of the door assembly and only the internal cladding is exposed to an interior of the door assembly when the door is in the closed position. A method for interconnecting two hollow elongated extruded sections of the door sash is also provided.

Abstract: A display device including a diffraction grating from which a diffracted light of the zeroth order and a diffracted light of the first order having different color light components emerge to establish color separation. An array of micro-lenses is arranged on a liquid crystal panel. The liquid crystal panel has a plurality of picture elements and each picture element includes a plurality of color display dots. The color display dots in each picture element are arranged in the vertical relationship and in the order of wavelength of the light. A green light component of diffracted light of the first order is made incident normal to the liquid crystal panel, and the diffracted light of the zeroth order passes through the liquid crystal panel at a greater angle relative to the normal to the liquid crystal panel.

Abstract: A manufacturing method of a cushion member which has a two-layer structure constituted by an obverse layer portion and a reverse layer portion and has no dispersion of thickness between the obverse layer portion and the reverse layer portion. Side cavities, a first cavity and a second cavity are formed in a lower die and side partitions and a front and rear partition are provided therein. A first raw material foams and flows within the first cavity, and a second raw material flows within the first cavity while being limited by a front and rear flow port with respect to a flow amount and a flow direction and covers over the first raw material so as to flow forward in such a manner as to follow the flow of a flow front end portion of the first raw material. Then, an obverse layer portion and a front edge portion made of the first raw material, and a reverse layer portion made of the second raw material are formed in the first cavity.

Abstract: There is provided a liquid crystal display having good display characteristics and a method of driving the same. Pixel data is written in plural pixels on one gate bus line at a top end of a display area at a first point in time on a line sequential basis. At a second point in time, the writing of pixel data in pixels in an upper part of the screen is completed, and writing of pixel data in pixels in a lower part of the screen is started. At a third point in time, the writing of pixel data in the pixels in the lower part of the screen is completed. A fluorescent tube on the upper side of the screen is turned on for a period between a third point in time after the writing of pixel data in the upper part of the screen and a fourth point in time before writing of pixel data for the next frame is started and is turned off in other periods.

Abstract: A windowed sash of the type having a window pane supported in a window sash. The window sash consists of elongated profiled polymeric members interconnected by weld seams at joints therebetween. The window sash is adapted to be mounted in a frame. Holes are provided in contact with the weld seams interconnecting the elongated profiled polymeric extruded members for distributing, at least partially, stress sustained by the window pane and the window sash when subjected to shocks, so as to prevent at least one of the weld seams, the elongated profiled polymeric extruded members and the window pane from cracking.

Abstract: A battery control system is provided which charges or discharges a storage battery installed in a hybrid vehicle to bring a state-of-charge of the storage battery into agreement with a target one. The system determines whether the state-of-charge lies within a given narrower range defined around the target state-of-charge and corrects the state-of-charge based on an open-circuit voltage of the battery when the state-of-charge lies within the given narrower range, thereby eliminating a cumulative error in calculating the state-of-charge of the battery caused by a variation in charge/discharge efficiency of the battery.

Abstract: A display device used for a display unit of portable electronic equipment, a light source device therefor and a light guide plate, suppressing dispersion in the brightness and featuring a high contrast and a good display quality. The constitution includes a light incidence surface on where light emitted from an LED falls, a light reflection surface formed facing the light incidence surface and reflects light from the light incidence surface, a light outgoing surface arranged between the light incidence surface and the light reflection surface, and has a circularly polarizing plate intimately adhered onto the surface thereof, and an opposing surface formed facing the light outgoing surface and in which there are alternately arranged first opposing surfaces for guiding the incident light to the light outgoing surface as well as to the light reflection surface, and second opposing surfaces for emitting the light reflected by the light reflection surface through the light outgoing surface.

Abstract: A developing apparatus includes a developing container for containing a developer therein. A developing carrying member, provided in an opening portion of the developing container, for developing an electrostatic image on an image bearing member, the developer carrying member having a rubber layer and a surface layer on the rubber layer. A seal member is provided in the opening portion for preventing leakage of the developer from an end portion of the opening portion. The seal member provided in the opening portion for preventing leakage of the developer from an end portion of the opening portion, wherein the seal member is in contact with the surface layer except for an end edge thereof.

Abstract: The display device includes a spatial modulator having a plurality of pixels and a periodical structural body having condenser elements corresponding to the pixels of the spatial modulator. Each of the pixels of the spatial modulator includes a plurality of color dots arranged in a first direction. A length of a peripheral region of the respective pixel encircling the plurality of color dots, measured in the first direction, is longer than a length of the condenser element of the periodical structural body, measured in the first direction. In addition, combinations of the pixels in the square, delta or mosaic arrangement with the condenser elements in the square, delta or mosaic arrangement are disclosed.

Abstract: The display device includes a spatial modulator having a plurality of pixels and a periodical structural body having condenser elements corresponding to the pixels of the spatial modulator. Each of the pixels of the spatial modulator includes a plurality of color dots arranged in a first direction. A length of a peripheral region of the respective pixel encircling the plurality of color dots, measured in the first direction, is longer than a length of the condenser element of the periodical structural body, measured in the first direction. In addition, combinations of the pixels in the square, delta or mosaic arrangement with the condenser elements in the square, delta or mosaic arrangement are disclosed.

Abstract: A lens array 22C has convex lenses 221 and 221C arranged in alternate and staggering manner to one another. In combination with a condenser lens 23, the convex lenses 221 form images of respective convex lenses 211 of a lens array 21 on a plane 24 to be illuminated in overlapping so that an illuminance distribution on the plane 24 is almost uniform, while the convex lenses 221C whose focal length is longer than that of the convex lenses 211 make on the plane 24 an illuminance distribution of a mountain-shape. Flat plate portions and concave lenses may be employed instead of the convex lenses 221C. A polarization conversion element comprises two elements and an element disposed therebetween with its longitudinal direction being perpendicular to the two element. The images of a light emitting part are included in band-shaped useful incident areas.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a light source device including discharge tubes that emit light by discharging in a thin atmosphere, a method of producing the light source device, and a display apparatus in which the light source device is employed. This light source device includes discharge tubes and a heat conductive member that is brought into contact with the neighboring area of the electrodes of the discharge tubes so as to locally cool down the neighboring area of the electrodes. In the light source device, a low heat conductivity member having lower heat conductivity than the heat conductive member is interposed between the heat conductive member and the discharge tubes. With such a structure, the luminance in the entire light source device can be increased and made uniform, and the reliability of the light source device can be increased accordingly.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus and a process cartridge have a wide optimum range of the toner charging amount and produce an excellent gradient and have an image bearing body and a developer carrying body. The electrostatic capacity of the image bearing body per cm2 is not less than 150 pF and not greater than 600 pF.