Abstract: Provided is a magnetic recording medium manufacturing apparatus capable of forming a lubricant film with a uniform thickness on the surface of a magnetic recording medium. The magnetic recording medium manufacturing apparatus includes a hanger mechanism (2) that is inserted into a central hole (100a) of a magnetic recording medium (100) and supports the magnetic recording medium (100) in a suspended state and a lifting mechanism (3) that lifts and lowers one of the hanger mechanism (2) and the dip tank (1) relative to the other.

Abstract: Provided is an epitaxial wafer manufacturing device (1) that deposits and grows epitaxial layers on the surfaces of wafers W while supplying a raw material gas to a chamber, wherein a shield (12), arranged in close proximity to the lower surface of a top plate (3) so as to prevent deposits from being deposited on the lower surface of the top plate (3), is removably attached inside the chamber, has an opening (13) in the central portion thereof that forces a gas inlet (9) to face the inside of a reaction space K, and has a structure in which it is concentrically divided into a plurality of ring plates (16), (17) and (18) around the opening (13).

Abstract: In an EGR valve, a valve element is moved with respect to a valve seat to adjust a passage section width of a measuring section, thereby regulating an EGR gas flow rate in a passage. The valve seat includes a valve hole, a first end face facing to a downstream side of the passage and a second end face facing to an upstream side of the passage. The inner circumferential surface of the valve hole has a concave curved shape with an inner diameter gradually increasing toward the second end face. The valve element is placed inside the valve hole to be movable in between a fully closed position and a fully open position. While the valve element is placed in the fully open position, passage section widths of parts of the measuring section in an EGR gas flow direction are approximate to each other.

Abstract: Provided is an exhaust gas recirculation apparatus of an internal combustion engine which can effectively suppress condensed water from being generated in an EGR passage, compared with the conventional apparatus. The exhaust gas recirculation apparatus includes an EGR pipe formed therein with an EGR passage held in communication with the exhaust passage and the intake passage, an EGR cooler in the EGR passage to cool the EGR gas, a first valve provided in the EGR passage between the EGR cooler and the exhaust passage to selectively take an opened state or a closed state, the first valve being operative to shut off the EGR gas from flowing into the EGR passage when the first valve takes the closed state, a second valve provided in the EGR passage between the EGR cooler and the intake passage to adjust an amount of the EGR gas flowing into the intake passage.

Abstract: Provided is a control apparatus of the internal combustion engine capable of removing deposited foreign matters accumulated on an EGR valve without deteriorating a combustion state of the internal combustion engine. When the vehicle is under deceleration and under fuel cut operation, the ECU opens an EGR shutoff valve and obtains an intake pressure “Pclose” under the EGR valve in the fully closed state. Then, the ECU opens the EGR valve and obtains an intake pressure “Popen” under the EGR valve in the fully opened state. Then, the ECU calculates a difference ?P between “Popen” and “Pclose”, and closes the EGR shutoff valve on the condition that the difference ?P is equal to or smaller than a threshold value “Pth1”. Then, the ECU opens the EGR valve, and subsequently opens the EGR valve.

Abstract: The present invention switches to and from generation of a luminance signal based on a visible light pixel signal and generation of a luminance signal based on a near infrared light pixel signal depending on a result of comparison of signal levels of the visible light pixel signal and the near infrared light pixel signal.

Abstract: Provided is an exhaust gas recirculation apparatus of an internal combustion engine which can suppress condensed water from being generated in an EGR pipe at the upstream side of an EGR cooler, and thus can suppress the an EGR pipe from being corroded.

Abstract: Provided is a magnetic recording medium manufacturing apparatus capable of forming a lubricant film with a uniform thickness on the surface of a magnetic recording medium. The magnetic recording medium manufacturing apparatus includes a hanger mechanism (2) that is inserted into a central hole (100a) of a magnetic recording medium (100) and supports the magnetic recording medium (100) in a suspended state and a lifting mechanism (3) that lifts and lowers one of the hanger mechanism (2) and the dip tank (1) relative to the other.

Abstract: The present invention provides a device and a method for producing a magnetic recording medium, the device and method capable of forming a lubricant membrane with a uniform thickness on a surface of the magnetic recording medium. Specifically, the device for producing the magnetic recording medium according to the invention is a device that forms a lubricant membrane on the surface of the magnetic recording medium by immersing the magnetic recording medium into an immersion tank that has a liquid lubricant and then raising the magnetic recording medium from the immersion tank. The device for producing the magnetic recording medium includes: a hanger device that is inserted into the central hole of the magnetic recording medium and supports the magnetic recording medium in a hanging state; and a raising and lowering device that raises and lowers one of the hanging device and the immersion tank with respect to the other thereof.

Abstract: The present invention switches to and from generation of a luminance signal based on a visible light pixel signal and generation of a luminance signal based on a near infrared light pixel signal depending on a result of comparison of signal levels of the visible light pixel signal and the near infrared light pixel signal.

Abstract: A fixing device for reducing, without fail, the heating output without using a control circuit if an excessive temperature rise of a rotary heating member is predicted, even if the control circuit fails or runs away. In the fixing device, heating of a fixing belt for heat-fixing an unfixed image on a recording medium is controlled by a body-side processor. When the fixing belt stops or rotates at a rotational speed equal to or below a threshold, an oscillation stop circuit stops the oscillation of an inverter circuit to stop the heating, independently of the processor. To check the operation of a rotation detection circuit for detecting the rotating state of the fixing belt (fixing roller) and the oscillation stop circuit, self-diagnosis is utilized to ascertain that the fixing belt is not heated by giving a heating instruction when the condition of not heating the fixing belt is satisfied is performed when the power is turned on or is performed regularly during standby.

Abstract: A heat generating roller, fixing equipment and an image forming apparatus in which warm-up time is shortened while preventing excessive temperature rise and good fixing performance is realized by preventing offset. The heat generating roller is formed principally by laying a high permeability conductive layer and a nonmagnetic conductive layer in layer. When a voltage is applied from a power supply to an exciting coil and an alternating current flow, magnetic flux is generated around the exciting coil and a magnetic field is formed. Magnetic coupling of a system including the heat generating roller and the exciting coil is advantageous at a low temperature and heat generation of the heat generating roller is accelerated. When the Curie point is exceeded, skin depth increases and skin resistance decreases, which suppresses generation of Joules heat and reduces heat generation of the heat generating roller.

Abstract: An image heating apparatus that enables a temperature of an image heating element to be stably maintained at a target temperature as a fixing speed varies. A Proportional-Integral-Derivative (PID) controller determines whether a temperature control computation results in a range that allows temperature control with one IGBT, and a linear control is performed if the result is at least equal to a minimum power obtained as IH output. PWM control is performed at minimum power if the power is less than a required minimum power. Thus, a computation method of a supply power computator need not be switched according to the fixing speed, and a calorific value of a fixing belt can be controlled using one computation method.

Abstract: PID control performs integral control using an integral value of a deviation between a set temperature and current temperature. In particular, when a proportionality factor Kp is large, a fixing belt reaches a target temperature quickly but overshoot increases. On the other hand, when the proportionality factor Kp is small, the output is reduced gradually, and therefore the fixing belt reaches a target temperature slowly but the overshoot is small. Thus, a heat value control section changes the control value of the PID control according to the temperature (belt temperature) of a fixing belt at the start of heating as detected by a temperature detector. More specifically, a proportionality factor Kp of a calculation expression of the PID calculation is changed according to the belt temperature of the fixing belt. This makes it possible to reduce an overshoot when the temperature of the fixing belt increases.

Abstract: A heat generating roller, fixing equipment and an image forming apparatus in which warm-up time is shortened while preventing excessive temperature rise and good fixing performance is realized by preventing occurrence of offset. In the heat generating roller, fixing equipment and image forming apparatus, the heat generating roller is formed principally by laying a high permeability conductive layer and a nonmagnetic conductive layer in layer. When a voltage is applied from a power supply (not shown) to an exciting coil and an AC current flow through it, magnetic flux is generated around the exciting coil and a magnetic field is formed. Since the heat generating roller has the high permeability conductive layer and the nonmagnetic conductive layer laid in layer, magnetic coupling of a system consisting of the heat generating roller and the exciting coil is good at the time of low temperature and heat generation of the heat generating roller is accelerated.

Abstract: An image fixing device that is controllable with a high degree of reliability. The image fixing device is configured with a heat generator for fixing a toner image onto a recording medium that is opposed to an induction heater. Heat is generated in the heat generator through electromagnetic induction. An inverter circuit drives the induction heater. A power controller controls a power value that is output from the inverter circuit, whose power value is calculated by a power-value calculator. A power-value sensor acquires the power value output from the power controller, and a temperature sensor senses a temperature at least at one point of the heat generator. Thus, either the power value sensed by the power-value sensor or a temperature value sensed by the temperature sensor may be used as a reference value to calculate the power value in the power-value calculator.

Abstract: A fixing device for infallibly reduce the heating output without using a control circuit if an excessive temperature rise of a rotary heating member is predicted even if the control circuit fails or runs away. In the fixing device (200), heating of a fixing belt (230) for heat-fixing an unfixed image on a recording medium is controlled by a body-side processor (401). When the fixing belt (230) stops or rotates at a rotational speed of a threshold or less, an oscillation stop circuit (307) stops the oscillation of an inverter circuit (305) to stop the heating independently of the processor (401).

Abstract: An image heating apparatus is provided that enables the temperature of an image heating element to be maintained stably at a target temperature even when the fixing speed varies, and that enables lower cost and higher efficiency to be achieved. In this apparatus, with a calorific value control section 300 of a fixing apparatus 200, temperature control computation is not varied according to the rotational speed of a fixing belt 230, but it is determined whether a PID control computation result is in a range that allows temperature control with one IGBT, linear control is performed if the result is greater than or equal to the minimum power obtained as IH output, and PWM control is performed at minimum power if power less than or equal to the minimum power is required. It is thus not necessary for the computation method of a supply power computation section 301 to be switched according to the fixing speed, and the calorific value of fixing belt 230 can be controlled with one computation method.

Abstract: The present invention provides an induction heating apparatus including a fixing belt that heats an unfixed image on recording paper, an excitation coil that induction-heats the fixing belt, an inverter circuit that supplies power to the excitation coil, a harness that electrically connects the excitation coil and the inverter circuit. The harness is constructed of a litz wire having a resistance of the harness section of 0.016 ? or below formed by stranding several tens of wires which are conductive wires coated with an insulator into a predetermined thickness.

Abstract: When a temperature control does not operate, and a thermal runaway state occurs, the temperatures of a heating roller and a thermostat rise rapidly. When the rise in the temperature occurs such that the temperature of the thermostat reaches or exceeds a predetermined temperature, both ends of a thermostat are brought into an open circuit state. Thus the supply of a power from a commercial power source to an exciting coil is directly cut off.