Abstract: A process for producing a continuous alumina fiber blanket by heat treating an alumina fiber precursor formed from a spinning solution containing an aluminum compound, by using a specific high-temperature furnace capable of high-temperature-heat treatment. According to this process, a continuous sheet (W) of alumina fiber precursor formed from a spinning solution containing an aluminum compound is supplied continuously into a high-temperature furnace and subjected to heat treatment while being conveyed in one direction by plural conveying mechanisms (2, 3) disposed in said high-temperature furnace. In this operation, the speed of said conveying mechanisms is reduced progressively in the direction of conveyance in correspondence to the rate of heat shrinkage of the continuous sheet (W) of alumina fiber precursor, thereby to lessen fiber crush in the alumina fiber precursor and obtain a continuous alumina fiber blanket with uniform thickness and high bulk density as well as high strength.

Abstract: An object of the present invention is to provide a substrate for a thin film photoelectric conversion device, in which its properties are not deteriorated when its surface unevenness is effectively increased, and then provide the thin film photoelectric conversion device having its performance improved by using the substrate. According to the present invention, by setting the surface area ratio of a transparent electrode layer in the substrate for the thin film photoelectric conversion device to at least 55% and at most 95%, the surface unevenness are effectively increased to increase the optical confinement effect, while deterioration in properties due to sharpening of the surface level variation is suppressed, whereby making it possible to provide a substrate for a thin film photoelectric conversion device, which can enhance output properties of the thin film photoelectric conversion device.

Abstract: A liquid ejection head can eject very fine droplets on the order of sub-picoliters. The liquid ejection head is provided with an ejection port for ejecting liquid as liquid droplets and comprises an energy generating element arranged vis-à-vis the ejection port to generate ejection energy to be applied to the liquid. No head-constituting member exists in the space formed by translating the area of the energy generating element toward the ejection port. The meniscus surface of the ejection port receives impact energy from the energy generating element. With this arrangement, droplets of the liquid are ejected from the central part of the meniscus surface having an area smaller than the meniscus surface so that they break the meniscus section at or near the central part thereof.

Abstract: A portable terminal carried and owned by each user is provided with a display screen, a communication unit, a memory storing personal information about each user, and an input/output device such as an inhaler. A database that communicates with each portable terminal is provided with a personal information storage unit storing the personal information about each user carrying the portable terminal, a medical information storage unit storing information about a medical facility, a drugstore, a medicine, and the input/output device, and a communication unit for communicating with each portable terminal. In the database, the user of the portable terminal is identified by collating the part of the information transmitted from the communication unit with information stored in the personal information storage unit.

Abstract: A portable terminal carried and owned by each user is provided with a display screen, a communication unit, a memory storing personal information about each user, and an input/output device such as an inhaler. A database that communicates with each portable terminal is provided with a personal information storage unit storing the personal information about each user carrying the portable terminal, a medical information storage unit storing information about a medical facility, a drugstore, a medicine, and the input/output device, and a communication unit for communicating with each portable terminal. In the database, the user of the portable terminal is identified by collating the part of the information transmitted from the communication unit with information stored in the personal information storage unit.

Abstract: An inexpensive substrate for thin film solar cells having improved performance of a thin film solar cell, and a manufacturing method thereof are provided by increasing light trapping effect due to effective increase in unevenness of a substrate for thin film solar cells. Furthermore, a thin film solar cell having improved performance using the substrate is provided. A substrate for thin film solar cells of the present invention has a transparent insulating substrate and a transparent electrode layer deposited thereon including at least zinc oxide (ZnO), the transparent insulating substrate has a fine surface unevenness having a root-mean-square deviation of the surface (RMS) 5 to 50 nm in an interface by a side of the transparent electrode layer, a projected area thereof consists of a curved surface, and furthermore a haze ratio or a ratio of a diffuse transmittance to a total transmittance as an index of unevenness of a substrate may be set at not less than 20% measured using a C light source.

Abstract: A DC-DC converter 111 with a switching element Q11 changes a supply of power to a HID lamp DL1. On/off of the element Q11 is controlled with a control circuit 13. The circuit 13 controls an on/off state of the element Q11 with constant lamp power control on stable operation of the lamp. The circuit 13 controls the on/off state of the element Q11 so as to provide the lamp with lamp power larger than lamp power by the constant lamp power control based on high power control for a period of time that the lamp is on. It is possible to keep temperature of electrodes and within a bulb of the lamp in a proper state through simple control, and to prevent flicker generation and electrode degradation.

Abstract: The present invention aims to expand a range through which a guiding visible light for guiding a position of an eye appears in shooting an image of the eye and to put easily the position of the eye onto an optical axis of an imaging optical system in shooting. In the present invention, an eye image pick-up system (10) includes a lens (13), a lens-barrel (12) for supporting the lens (13), a mirror (14) as a guiding mirror for turning an optical path of an imaging optical system at an almost right angle and guiding a guiding visible light, an imaging device (16) for picking up an image of an eye (11), and an LED (15) provide at the back of the mirror (14) on a prolonged line of an optical axis (17) extending from the lens (13) to the mirror (14) to emit the guiding visible light. The mirror (14) has a reflecting film (18) formed by depositing reflecting material onto a transparent substrate, and a circular-ring light guiding portion (19) made of transparent material.

Abstract: Even if a DC output voltage of a step-down chopper circuit (3) is lowered from a value in a non-lighted state or a no-load state due to a discharge occurring between conductors (105a) in a cable (104), the turn on detection circuit (26a) can discriminates between lighted and non-lighted states without erroneously determining such a discharge as a discharge in a discharge lamp (4). This allows an operation of the timer (29) to be continued, so that high-voltage pulses are intermittently applied to prevent continuous discharge between the conductors (105) and abnormal heat generation in the cable (104). Further, even if a discharge occurs in an outer tube of the discharge lamp (4), the turn on detection circuit (26a) never erroneously discriminates this discharge as the lighted state. Thus, the lighting device of the present invention can suppress abnormal heat generations in the components and a socket (102).

Abstract: An alumina fiber aggregate which is minimized in scatter of fibers, excels in handling characteristics and working environmental hygiene and finds its useful application to support mats for catalytic converters and such is provided. An alumina fiber aggregate comprising alumina short fibers having such properties that when diameters of said alumina short fibers are represented by x (?m), the rate at which the natural logarithmic value lnx in lognormal distribution of x is less than ln3 is not more than 2%, and the value left after deducting from the length-weighted geometric mean of said fiber diameters a value twice its standard error is not more than 6 ?m; and a support mat for catalytic converters comprising such an alumina fiber aggregate.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a process for producing a laminated sheet comprising an alumina fiber precursor, which process comprises spinning out an alumina fiber precursor from a solution mainly comprising an aluminum compound, falling and stacking said alumina fiber precursor on the surface of an accumulator to form a thin lamina sheet of alumina fiber precursor, continuously pulling out said lamina sheet from the accumulator, transferring the resultant lamina sheet to a folding device, and folding the sheet by a predetermined width while stacking the folded sheet and continuously moving the stacking sheet in the direction orthogonal to the folding direction.

Abstract: According to the present invention, sufficient light trapping effect can be exhibited and series resistance can be kept small, by sequentially forming a silicon based low refractive index layer and a thin silicon based interface layer on a backside of a photoelectric conversion layer observed from a light incident side, and as a result a silicon based thin film solar cell may be provided efficiently and at low cost.

Abstract: Disclosed is a sleep stage determination apparatus which comprises respiratory-signal detection means for detecting a variation of a respiratory signal from the body of a human subject, and sleep-stage determination means for determining a plurality of sleep stages using only the respiratory-signal variation. The sleep stage determination apparatus of the present invention can eliminate the need for detecting a plurality of biological signals and have simplified sensor and circuit configurations designed to detect only the respiratory signal variation which is relatively easily detectable. This makes it possible to reduce a detection error and achieve enhanced determination accuracy or creditability.

Abstract: A process for producing a continuous alumina fiber blanket by heat treating an alumina fiber precursor formed from a spinning solution containing an aluminum compound, by using a specific high-temperature furnace capable of high-temperature heat treatment. According to this process, a continuous sheet (W) of alumina fiber precursor formed from a spinning solution containing an aluminum compound is supplied continuously into a high-temperature furnace and subjected to heat treatment while being conveyed in one direction by plural conveying mechanisms (2, 3) disposed in said high-temperature furnace. In this operation, the speed of said conveying mechanisms is reduced progressively in the direction of conveyance in correspondence to the rate of heat shrinkage of the continuous sheet (W) of alumina fiber precursor, thereby to lessen fiber crush in the alumina fiber precursor and obtain a continuous alumina fiber blanket with uniform thickness and high bulk density as well as high strength.

Abstract: A thin film photoelectric converter, especially an integrated thin film photoelectric converter having improved photoelectric conversion efficiency is provided by controlling an open-circuit voltage and a fill factor so as not be small in a thin film photoelectric converter including a crystalline silicon photoelectric conversion unit. The thin film photoelectric converter by the present invention has at least a transparent electrode film, a crystalline silicon photoelectric conversion unit, and a back electrode film formed sequentially on one principal surface of a transparent substrate, and the converter has a whitish discoloring area on a part of a surface of the converter after formation of the crystalline silicon photoelectric conversion unit. A percentage of dimensions of the whitish discoloring area preferably is not more than 5% of a dimension of the photoelectric conversion area.

Abstract: A process for producing a continuous alumina fiber blanket by heat treating an alumina fiber precursor formed from a spinning solution containing an aluminum compound, by using a specific high-temperature furnace capable of high-temperature heat treatment. According to this process, a continuous sheet (W) of alumina fiber precursor formed from a spinning solution containing an aluminum compound is supplied continuously into a high-temperature furnace and subjected to heat treatment while being conveyed in one direction by plural conveying mechanisms (2, 3) disposed in said high-temperature furnace. In this operation, the speed of said conveying mechanisms is reduced progressively in the direction of conveyance in correspondence to the rate of heat shrinkage of the continuous sheet (W) of alumina fiber precursor, thereby to lessen fiber crush in the alumina fiber precursor and obtain a continuous alumina fiber blanket with uniform thickness and high bulk density as well as high strength.

Abstract: In a chopper circuit, output power is controllable with a direct current power source as a power source, and a smoothing capacitor is connected between output terminals of the chopper circuit. A polarity inversion circuit applies an alternating voltage to a high pressure discharge lamp with a voltage across the smoothing capacitor as a power source. The output power of the chopper circuit and an inversion frequency of the polarity inversion circuit are controlled by a control circuit based upon a terminal voltage of the smoothing capacitor, which is detected by a voltage detecting circuit. In the control circuit, a switch voltage is set for defining a range of voltages detected by the voltage detecting circuit, and the inversion frequency is changed in plural stages according to the magnitude relation between the detected voltage and the switch voltage.

Abstract: In a stacked-layer type photoelectric conversion device, a plurality of photoelectric conversion units are stacked on a substrate, each of which includes a one conductivity-type layer, a photoelectric conversion layer of substantially intrinsic semiconductor and an opposite conductivity-type layer in this order from a light-incident side. At least one of the opposite conductivity-type layer in a front photoelectric conversion unit arranged relatively closer to the light-incident side and the one conductivity-type layer in a back photoelectric conversion unit arranged adjacent to the front photoelectric conversion unit includes a silicon composite layer at least in a part thereof. The silicon composite layer has a thickness of more than 20 nm and less than 130 nm and an oxygen concentration of more than 25 atomic % and less than 60 atomic %, and includes silicon-rich phase parts in an amorphous alloy phase of silicon and oxygen.

Abstract: A liquid ejection head can eject very fine droplets of the order of sub-picoliter. The liquid ejection head is provided with an ejection port 3 for ejecting liquid as liquid droplets and comprises an energy generating element 1 arranged vis-à-vis the ejection port 3 to generate ejection energy to be applied to the liquid. No head-constituting member exists in the space formed by translating the area of the energy generating element 1 toward the ejection port 3. The meniscus surface of said ejection port receives an impact energy from the energy generating element. With this arrangement, droplets of the liquid is ejected from the central part of the meniscus surface having an area smaller than the meniscus surface so that they break the meniscus section at or near the central part thereof.

Abstract: A liquid ejection head includes a liquid path; an ejection outlet forming member which constitutes a part of a wall of the liquid and which forms an ejection outlet for ejecting a droplet of liquid; a heat generating element, provided at a position opposing to the ejection outlet of the wall of the liquid flow path, for generating a bubble in the liquid by application of heat to the liquid; a restrictor portion, provided at a recessed portion of the ejection outlet, wherein the recessed portion is recessed from a plane in which the ejection outlet is formed, wherein the liquid forms a meniscus and is retained in the ejection outlet such that the restrictor portion is within the liquid, wherein an area So of an opening of the restrictor portion and a surface Sh of the heat generating element satisfy So?Sh. According to this invention, a central portion of the meniscus opposed to the fine opening at the ejection outlet bulges, and the liquid is ejected in this state.